


Spear & Shield

by Hadley_sensei



Category: Naruto
Genre: Accidents Happen, Anxiety, Destruction, F/M, Fluff, Gai-centric, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Lost a Bet, Misunderstanding, Nonsense, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, almost all fluff, architecture, because we need more gai fics, just for fun, just two idiots doing their best, reluctant student, student and teacher
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:20:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 33
Words: 42,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26389303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hadley_sensei/pseuds/Hadley_sensei
Summary: What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?Ushi Yasu was minding her own business when Konoha's own Beautiful Green Beast launches himself into her life. Tries as she might to get rid of him, she quickly realizes she's no match for his tenacity.But it's okay. She's tough.
Relationships: Maito Gai | Might Guy/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 222
Kudos: 161





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Trying a new writing style for this fic, hence the short chapters. Updates every week!

Spear & Shield  
Chapter 1

On sunny days, if the weather was warm, a resident of Konoha could look up at the looming faces of the Hokage Monument and notice a tiny speck seated atop Sandaime's head. A pair of legs would be dangling over his brow, hardly noticeable unless you knew what to look for. On particularly hot days, the speck would move down to Yondaime's crown, taking refuge in the cliff face shade. The lone figure would spend entire days lounging atop the heads of legends.

Sandaime offered a ledge that worked wonderfully as a drafting table, while Yondaime had a mysterious seal scorched into his rocky scalp that provided endless speculation as to what exactly it had been for.

But the lounger was not there for the innocuous mysteries of the carved rock face.

Ushi Yasu was there for the view.

The Hokage monument was the tallest and most unobstructed point in the village. From there, the horizon line was trimmed by the outer wall. She could skim it with her eyes almost all the way around, only a few sparse meters blocked by trees and buildings. She could see every crack in the masonry, every weathered stone, every potential weak point. She could follow roads and paths that connected the different sectors of the village, noting high-trafficked areas and choke-points. She saw every alleyway and dead-end. She could see which paths were taken the most by citizens and ninja alike. Every building was scrutinized under her gaze, from foundation to rooftop.

Oh, the roofs. The shinobi highway. Nothing but spotty shingles and crumbling exterior. One was even beginning to bow from the continuous weight. No wonder so many villagers complained of leaks… Damn irresponsible ninja. No respect for good tile work.

She absentmindedly kicked a crumbling rock from Sandaime's hair.

A breeze blew by then, picking up a fine layer of dirt and dust that naturally accumulated on the rocky surface. Yasu sighed, not _quite_ ready to retreat from her quiet perch. Taking a small notebook out of her supply pouch, she made a few triage notes of repairs that needed to be made. A report would be submitted to the Hokage for approval by the morning.

The day was young and there was work to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Spear & Shield  
Chapter 2

The last brick was laid in perfect alignment. The roof tiles gleaned in their novelty, reflecting the beating summer sun like a line of soldiers ready for battle. Everything was perfect.

“...And Now You Shall Face the True Ferocity of Youthful Power!” a voice shouted in the distance. 

“ _Lotus kick--!_ ”

 _'Yare-yare…’_ Yasu sighed inwardly, sounding all too much like her father. She knew having the new barracks so close to the training grounds was practical, but it certainly ruined the atmosphere. 

“Eh, Gai… I think you're--”

The deafening sound of a hurricane-wind hit Yasu with enough force to knock her off balance. She stumbled into the side of her pristine creation, scuffing the grout ever so slightly. She wailed inwardly at the mark, but her lamentations were cut short at the reflexive realization that wind was only the prelude to a larger attack. A shadow passed over the sun, steadily growing larger against the wall beside her.

Chakra surged to the balls of her feet and she planted herself between the incoming projectile and the building, arms raised to block whatever it was flying towards her.

The sole of a man's sandal hit her forearms, sending her sliding back a few inches, heels digging into the dirt and leaving two small trenches beneath her feet, burying her ankle-deep in the ground. A shockwave rattled along her bones, running from her toes and skull like an electric shock. She had braced the attack perfectly, absorbing the impact. The barracks were spared a direct hit…

But as any good shinobi knows, aftershocks can be just as damaging.

Roof tiles unhinged, a few flying off completely. The façade windows cracked, nearly shattering. The step under the door dislodged from the earth, awkwardly sitting at a painful-looking angle.

Yasu's breath left her at once, a silent scream being her response to the utter devastation inflicted on her latest project. She didn't notice the two awe-struck jounin behind her. 

_'It's_ **_ruined!!_ ** _’_ she wailed internally.

“Ushi-san…?” the masked one asked tentatively.

“My… my attack,” gasped his partner. “I lost control of the momentum, I could have _killed her_!” The mortification he felt was apparent in his voice and face. “I could have taken her head clean off!” He fell to his knees, hands clenched at his scalp in horror. 

The dramatics were at the behest of his companion, whom at his point was unaffected by such displays. “She took that hit straight-on,” he commented thoughtfully, reaching into his pocket to pull out a colorful paperback. “Rather impressive, eh?”

“No… no, no, no, _no_!” Yasu continued to cry, woefully picking up what was left of the door. 

“Miss, I must apologize!” Gai declared, dropping flat to the ground in the most humble of bows. “My attack was reckless and unintentional. As punishment, I shall run one thousand laps around the village-- backwards and barefoot! I beg your forgiveness!”

Finally, Yasu turned to acknowledge the two. A confused expression flashed over her face as if she had only just realized they were there at all, counter to the fact one had just _kicked_ her.

“...Are you alright, Ushi-san?” Kakashi asked, not really sounding all that concerned. “That was quite the hit you took.”

“Eh?” she paused. “No, it's alright… I'm fine.” Her features fell dark and lamenting, “My building's not…”

Gai gave another horrified gasp. “Have I damaged your home? I will pay for the damages immediately! And will stand on one leg atop Hokage tower for seven days straight!”

“I think what my friend here is trying to say,” Kakashi placed a heavy hand atop Gai's head to prevent him from throwing himself into another bow, “Is that he’s sorry for the accident and will make any necessary repairs himself.”

Yasu frowned at the pair, her eyes shifting from one to the other with cautious suspicion. “No… No, that’s alright. It was an accident. These things happen, but please try to be more careful next time. I only just finished construction earlier this morning,” her aggravated tone betrayed the kindness of her words.

At this point, Gai was openly weeping, “What have I done to deserve the forgiveness of a beautiful flower of Konoha!”

Turning away with a sigh, Yasu began to gently kick the dislodged front step back into place. 

“What a mess… What kind of ‘training’ were you two doing, anyway? That kick was pretty intense.” Her arms were a little sore… there was a slight red mark where he had made contact, but not enough to leave a bruise. Still, it hurt a little.

Kakashi’s eye slowly slid away from the text of his book, dropping to the ground in a way one may interpret as 'contrite.' “We were chopping wood, actually.”

Yasu paused, “Excuse me?”

“Yes!” Gai leapt to his feet and all evidence of previous groveling was gone. “My rival and I were in the midst of a heated competition!”

“A competition?” she deadpanned.

Kakashi seized a moment before Gai could exposit the long and nonsensical nature of their so-called ‘rivalry.’ “We honestly weren’t aware this building was here when we started training. I don't remember seeing it before.”

“Mah,” Yasu shrugged, “It only went into construction a few days ago. The Hokage made a formal announcement, but I don’t think anyone was really paying attention… It’s just new public housing; buildings like these don’t take very long to erect. We chose this location because it was conveniently next to training grounds.” Her finger ran along a deep chip in the brickwork, “...But that probably wasn’t a good idea. I’ll have to ask Hokage-sama for an extension before officially opening it.”

“I really am sorry,” Gai said, dropping his characteristic bravado. “You put a lot of hard work into this.”

Wordlessly, Yasu reached into the pack on her belt and retrieved a scroll. It was worn down, with tiny tears along the edges. The paper itself had yellowed with age with a thin coat of dirt staining the creases. She opened it, channeled her chakra, and an array of tools appeared in a cloud of smoke. Looking at the tools, it was obvious some were probably older than she was. 

“Hopefully the foundation wasn't damaged. It will take a day or two, but… I can fix it. The cement won’t be dry, though.”

"It's fixable?" Gai sounded hopeful.

“I best leave you to it, then!” Kakashi said cheerfully just before warping away from the area entirely, totally abandoning Gai. 

The later ninja took a moment to gawk at Kakashi’s uncouth exit, but Yasu didn’t react whatsoever. Still remorseful, Gai stood up and walked over to the neat arrangement of tools. 

“Please, let me help,” he beseeches her. “I don’t know what to do, but I am very fast, I can help you fix the damage quickly."

She regarded him with a beleaguered expression, but nodded nonetheless. "Gather up the tiles that came loose. We'll need to replace a few, but some should be salvageable."

Gai’s face brightened slightly as he went about his task at usual speed, but only half-enthusiasm. Truth be told, this wasn’t necessarily the first time he had to help repair damage caused by his and Kakashi’s rivalry. He felt embarrassed over his careless mistake, and genuinely sorry that he had caused trouble at all. 

Yasu, however, had already run out of energy to be annoyed with him. She all but forgot the incident that had occurred just moments ago, and fell back into her usual demeanor.

“You’re Maito Gai, right?” she asked casually over her shoulder.

Gai paused, reaching down to add another tile to the heaping pile in his arms. “Yes, I am Maito Gai.”

“Nice to meet you,” she gave him something between a grimace and a smile, “My name is Ushi Yasu.” 

What Gai did not know was that he had met Ushi Yasu a total of four times before... He forgot her every time.

Despite his usual cluelessness, he was wise enough to know that her polite greeting was obviously forced, yet appreciated it nonetheless. “Ushi-san,” he grinned back, gently dropping the roof tiles beside her. 

“Ah. You are fast,” she sounded pleased, picking up one tile to inspect it for cracks. “Thank you for staying to help. I’ll be here all night, otherwise.”

“Of course!” he exclaimed, “I was the cause of the damage, after all… And I’m still very sorry.”

Yasu picked up a strange-looking trowel, digging it between two bricks to pop a broken one out of the wall. “No worries, Maito-san. It’s just a building… No one was hurt.”

Again, Gai paused. His eyes slid down to her profile, “Yes… You endured my hit quite well. That was one of my most powerful attacks. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I had harmed you directly.”

To his surprise, she laughed at that, “Mah, don’t worry about me.” She smiled up at him, "I'm very tough."

Ignoring the slight flush that rose to his cheeks, Gai gave her another enthusiastic salute, "I expect nothing less from a Beautiful Flower of Konoha!"

Yasu snorted, jamming a brick back into place. A few good whacks and it nestled right in. Then she began to laugh, "'Beautiful Flower?'" she echoed, "That's a new one." Gai opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but she cut him off, "Could you hand me another nail, Maito-san?"

The two worked until dusk had come and gone, stars beginning to twinkle in the night sky. Yasu stepped away from her project, hands on her hips and a satisfied smile on her face. "It looks good. Great job, Maito-san!"

Gai was so overcome with impassioned sentiment from her praise, he nearly forgot the fact that it was his fault for the building being damaged in the first place.

"Yosh!" he agreed, teary-eyed. "Thank you, Ushi-san!"

"Everything should be settled in a day or so. I'll let the Hokage know in the morning." The scroll containing her tools disappeared back into her pouch. She stretched and yawned before turning to her companion for the last time. "Thank you again for your assistance," she bowed politely. 

"Maybe I'll see you around, Maito-san."

"... You as well, Ushi-san." There was an edge of disappointment as he watched her turn away, walking in the opposite direction. She cast one final wave over her shoulder before disappearing into the tree line.


	3. Chapter 3

Spear and Shield  
Chapter 3

In order to master the art of ninjutsu and become a full-fledged shinobi, one must acquire knowledge and skills across a whole array of specific areas.

Architecture was not (usually) one of them.

Sure, most skilled shinobi could read a blueprint. They were frequently used as tools in certain missions such as retrieval, reconnaissance, and infiltration. Building layouts are detrimental intelligence and were treasured amongst the spymasters of the village. No wonder edifice was such a common theme in Konoha. 

But being able to read a blueprint and actually design and erect a building were two entirely different things. …For the most part. And then being able to maintain buildings for hundreds of years? To leave a village in better shape than you came into it? To strive for continuous improvement? No shinobi could, at least none that she knew.

Ushi Yasu was blessed with the best of both worlds. She was a ninja architect. 

She could say she chose this path, but she could also say she was forced into it. She liked to say she fell into it.

She collapsed onto her bed, face down in her pillow. Her body felt fine but her poor mind was beginning to fade for the night. Having the deadline for the training ground barracks pushed back irked her, but at least it was done now. She’d do a final inspection in the morning, but chances were there would be some interior work needed. 

A soft trill made her turn her head just as four paws landed on her comforter. With a sleepy smile, she lifted a hand to scratch behind the tabby’s ear. She took note that her arm was completely clear of any damage caused by the earlier accidental attack. “Bao-chan,” she cooed to the purring cat, “You’re not gonna believe what happened today…”

She recounted meeting Gai to her cat, if only to assure herself the strange encounter had happened. The tabby stared at her with disinterested yellow eyes.

"And Hatake-san was there…"

She rarely spared a thought for her mysterious next door neighbor, save for the few times he'd asked her to water his plants while he took a long mission, or on the even rarer occasion she'd cook too much and pass off some leftovers to him and his ninken. That's not to say she didn't _like_ Hatake-san. No... Rather, they both just liked to keep to themselves. Perhaps that's why they'd manage to live next door for so long in complete amicability. 

“Two of the strongest ninja in the village attacked my building,” she noted with pride. “And it survived! That’s a testament to my craft, ne, Bao-chan?”

The fat kitten mewed in response, eyeing her owner's dancing fingers with vicious intent.

"I wonder what Hokage-sama will say when I tell her-- Ow! No, Bao-chan!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you think! I'm writing this story for fun, I would love some feedback!


	4. Chapter 4

Spear & Shield   
Chapter 4

Yasu had been wrong in believing the interior had been damaged (save for one loose floorboard that she _refused_ to believe had been there before). Otherwise, the inside was just as she had left it, ready for furniture and people and whatever else needed to be housed.

Public projects were her favorite… Much more satisfying than the private jobs she did. 

_‘Back, forth, back, pull. Back, forth, back, pull. Back, forth, back, pull…’_

Polish was a builder’s worth. Dovetail corners, properly sanded grout, smooth and perfectly level surfaces. This was the standard she had been taught, and she would not allow any standards to waver… Unintended ninja ambushes aside, her creations were made to last.

The smell of burning friction from her sanding mixed with the fresh late-autumn air, creating an aroma she could call "perfect." Stone filings gathered in a light layer on the floor, stirring in the breeze that filtered through an open window. Sweat was gathering on her brow and her knees ached from kneeling for so long, but she was happy. 

Yasu stepped back into the daylight with cognizant pride. The building was done, and she could report to the Hokage.

The freshly-plowed path that led away to the entrance of the grounds was still soft beneath her feet. But just as she stepped onto it, an odd feeling stirred in the pit of her stomach.

The perfect smell of fresh air and sanded stone disappeared, being replaced with the faintest hint of ozone.

_“Strong Fist...!”_

She had no time to register what she had done, only enough to block and evade. Adrenaline shot through her chest like a spear, ripping through the relaxed calm she had worked herself into.

Instinct and training took over her body. She thrust her arm out in a heavy palm-strike, but did little more than change the trajectory of the attack. She felt the sheer force in the form of a sharp pain to her elbow, but it worked. The body of her attacker went spinning back into the tree line, barely glancing by the roof of the barracks before crashing into a nearby tree. 

There was a moment of silence as dust and dirt began to settle. Hesitantly, she leapt onto the freshly-shingled roof of her building for a better view and hopefully some insight on _what the hell_ just happened. 

Then she heard a noise.

The tree trunk snapped with a deafening _crack!_ as it began to careen downwards-- _right on top of her building._

 _‘No way in hell!’_ she thought with ferocious determination, leaping into action at once. The bark came slamming down against her palms, scraping the skin to shreds, but she somehow managed to catch the falling tree before it had a chance to even tap against the roof. 

Leaves and twigs rained down around her. With a painful groan, she summoned the entirety of her strength to feebly push the tree a few meters clear of her lovely creation. 

It landed solidly with an earth-shaking thump.

She let out a breath of relief, placing a hand on her chest to help slow her racing heart.

_'Yare-yare…'_

The spirits must be angry with her. How else could she explain all this bad luck?

"Yosh!" a voice proclaimed from the tree line, "What a Wonderful Display of Youthful Strength!"

She spun, immediately honing in on a beaming smile, “Eh? Maito-san?"

"Ushi Yasu! Your miraculous display of defensive ability has caught the attention of Konoha's Glorious Green Beast!"

She flinched. She knew she had sensed misplaced enthusiasm.

It seemed Gai-san was back to his normal antics. What happened to the humble mess of apologies from the previous evening? Where was Hatake-san to reign him in? Had he really just thrown a tree at her after last night’s fiasco?

“What do you mean?”

Surely, she had done nothing worthy of catching his attention. In fact, one of her more notable traits was just how unremarkable she was. She was a chunin, a reserve ninja who spent most of her time in the village walls. She wasn't from a clan, nor did she bare a kekkei-genkai. Just another nameless ninja in Konoha. Wholly unremarkable.

And even though she had never spent a significant amount of time with Gai before last night...she had heard plenty of stories. 

The taijutsu master, the unrelenting teacher, the unstoppable Maito Gai. Stories whispered to her in the shady corner of her favorite bar, the rumors that spread through halls of the Hokage Tower… On reputation alone, she knew her and Gai were never meant to associate.

Perhaps that’s why he re-introduced himself every time they met. 

Yet here he was, bounding over with a level of enthusiasm she had never experienced before. There was not a time in her life she could recall someone being so excited to see her.

“Even with the element of surprise, you still countered my attack! Your resilience is incredible!”

She looked down at her palms, noting that the top layer of her skin was shredded, but not bleeding. Still, it stung a little. 

“... You attacked me on purpose?”

Without skipping a beat, he puts a hand to his chiseled chin with the most dubious smirk he could manage. “Yes! I needed to surprise you to truly test your strength!”

She cocked her head, distinctly recalling how he shouted the name of his technique. Then her eyes strayed downward to the massive tree fallen on the ground. 

“You threw a tree at me.”

“And you deflected quite marvelously!”

Yasu wasn’t sure if she was angry or simply confused. Either way, she was getting a dizzying headache. 

“I was protecting my building,” she grumbled, kicking off a twig off the roof. 

“A most wonderful motivation! You must protect your passion!” his eyes literally glittering with tears. 

She frowned, utterly and completely confused by the person in front of her. Quietly, she leapt from the roof, landing off beside the fallen tree. “Do you hate me, Maito-san?”

"Eh? N-no! Of course not!"

"Have I offended you in some way?"

"Why, Ushi-san, you haven't at all--"

"Then why are you attacking me?"

She saw the devastation in his eyes. Apparently Maito Gai's weakness was a disapproving tone and a stern stare.

“I was merely testing your abilities through the element of surprise!”

“The only abilities you’re testing is my ability to not take offense!”

The noise he made was heart-wrenching. “No, no, no! You misunderstand!”

She sighed, crossing her arms, “Then explain _why_ you’re attacking me and my building.”

They walked towards one another, meeting halfway between the barracks and the treeline, shielded on nearly all sides from any prying eyes that may stumble upon them.

“I don’t believe you realize how remarkable your talents are, Ushi-san,” he began in a serious tone. Although, there was a glint in his eye she was beginning to recognize as “trouble.” “It’s rare for a ninja to be able to take my attacks head-on. Many elite jounin have difficulties combating my taijutsu. My strength alone is unrivaled except by perhaps the Hokage, Tsunade-sama.”

' _He sounds cocky,'_ she grumbled inwardly.

Yasu crossed her arms as well and regarded him with the same level of serious-ness. “I’m aware. Your reputation precedes you, Maito-san.”

 _‘In more ways than one,’_ she added silently.

“Yosh! Your compliments humble me, Ushi-san!” he grinned, giving her a thumbs up and not sounding the least bit humble. 

Her brow furrowed in confusion, wondering what part of her sentence he took as praise.

“It is exactly this reason why I have chosen to undertake you as one of my dear, illustrious students!”

“... Pardon?”

He rounded on her, his excitement and enthusiasm being literally unable to be contained physically. 

She crouched, chakra beginning to flow in preparation for attack. “I’m not a student, I’m a chunin,” she corrected, teeth clacking nervously.

“Fear not! I, your noble sensei, am plenty qualified! It is never too late to advance your learning!”

“But I don’t _want_ to advance my learning.”

Well, at least not her ninjutsu. But what were the chances of Gai knowing anything about fine sculpture?

He gasped, reeling back dramatically, “How can you say such a thing?! Why, continuous learning is detrimental to being a great ninja!”

There was something in his words that struck her with conviction. 

Realization bloomed in her chest like a dead weight.

He… he was completely delusional.

Feeling desperate, she dropped into a fighting stance, taking a few deliberate steps away from the edifice she was so proud of. “I don’t want to fight you, Maito-san. There is no way for me to beat you, but I will defend myself if you attack,” her confident words were betrayed by shaking hands and a wavering voice. 

Who was she kidding? She didn’t stand a chance. On strength alone, Gai had her beat a thousand-to-one. And now she saw the pure insanity that was behind that strength. He would surely destroy her. 

“That’s the spirit!” he cheered, falling into a similar stance. “A lively spar is just what we need to assess your potential!”

Before she could utter a single word in protest, a round-house kick flung her sideways.

Her whole body went flying into one of the larger trees, lodging her in a tangle of branches, limbs, and leaves. The startling revelation of going from standing to trajectory shook her world to a dizzying state. She took a moment, remaining perfectly still in her strange and crooked position in the tree. 

“I’m okay!” she called out of reflex; a Pavlovian habit her old sensei had instilled in her.

“Wonderful!” a blur of green appeared on an adjacent branch. “But try to block next time.”

 _‘Is this happening? Is this really happening?’_ she stared at him sideways (and a little to the left). 

“Maito-san… I’m going to hit you now.”


	5. Chapter 5

Spear and Shield  
Chapter 5

“... I’m happy to report that construction is complete, Hokage-sama. I understand there’s still a need for temporary housing for our citizens and I propose that we use the location to house them before opening it up to our ninja.”

Godaime regarded the young chunin with a thoughtful look, “Good idea. I’m impressed you finished the project in such a short time. Your father has taught you well.”

This made Yasu beam with pride, “Thank you, Hokage-sama!” She bowed deeply.

“Thank you for volunteering to take on construction yourself. The village doesn’t have much labor to spare nowadays.”

“It was no trouble at all, Hokage-sama. I enjoyed the challenge.”

“I hope this project wasn’t too much of a strain,” Tsunade eyed her up and down. “Are you feeling alright, Yasu-san? You look a bit… worse for wear.”

Yasu wished she had time to shower and change before this meeting, but alas, time had not been on her side. It had taken her roughly three hours to shake the relentless force known as Maito Gai.

“Ah, excuse my appearance, Hokage-sama. I was… Training.”

Her everyday uniform was torn and frayed worse than it had ever been. Forest debris and dirt covered her all over. Her gait was stiff, having long since cramped up from her intense battle with Gai. Without proper gear or a good warm-up, her body and equipment had given in quickly. 

The Hokage tented her fingers, assessing that there was little to no physical damage to be concerned of. “I’m glad to see you finally taking your shinobi training seriously. Try not to wear yourself out.”

 _‘Like I have the option,’_ Yasu inwardly scowled. “Of course. Thank you, Hokage-sama.”

“Fantastic work as always, Ushi-san. Give my regards to your father. Dismissed!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Thank you everyone who's left kudos! You guys are awesome!


	6. Chapter 6

Spear and Shield  
Chapter 6

_Knock, knock!_

Normally Kakashi ignored people at his door.

_Knock, knock!_

Anyone who really needed him knew how to contact him. 

_Knock, knock!_

He just wanted to stay in bed today. His team was still on leave for another week. And while he felt fine (at least physically), he desired a nice, slow day. He wanted to sleep in, spend the morning reading, go for a nice walk around the village, and finish the day by heading to the marketplace to pick up fresh ingredients for a nice dinner.

_Knock, knock!_

He had not accounted for an unexpected visitor. 

_Knock, knock!_

Especially such a persistent one.

“Ne… Ushi-san,” he drawled while slowly swinging the door open, “What brings you to my humble home?”

Yasu felt the slight air of killing intent that radiated off him, and she ignored it. 

“Good morning, Hatake-san,” she began, her voice a drawling croak, “I'm in need of your assistance. I seem to have a pest problem. Perhaps you can help me?”

“...Eh? What is it? A rat?” He had never known a kunoichi to shy away from such minor threats. Especially not this kunoichi. Besides, their building was kept rather clean. He rarely saw even an ant.

"No. Bigger than a rat."

The sudden scent of ozone was her only warning.

“ _Yosh!_ ” a cry was heard in the distance, bringing with it a great wave of dread. “How wonderful! My newest pupil and my one and only eternal rival!" Gai entered the picture so quickly, neither other shinobi had time to react. "While I find your co-conspiring clever, it will take more than such underhanded tactics to deceive me!"

Yasu pointed at her enthusiastic tag-along, "It took me three hours to get rid of him," she pleaded with Kakashi, "He found me in three minutes."

Kakashi sighed, regarding the girl with a newfound respect. Finally, someone to relate to. Still, he merely smiled cheerfully behind his mask and said, "Perhaps you need to work on your evasion skills, Ushi-san."

“Hakate-san, please! Help--”

"Kakashi! Are you joining our training? Surely, my youthful student would be up for the challenge!"

That was the first time in her life Yasu had been described as "youthful."

“Ah, Gai. Yasu-chan was just telling me she needed assistance with her endurance. I am unfortunately busy today. Perhaps you could assist her?”

Gai looked as though he had just been told he won the lottery. “Yosh! I would be happy to help, Ushi-san!”

Yasu’s entire being iced over as she stared daggers at her neighbor. “Your betrayal will not be forgotten, Hakate-san."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

Spear & Shield   
Chapter 7

It was not an uncommon occurrence for Yasu’s apartment to be infiltrated during her work hours. Her trapping skills were abysmal. As much as she loved building them, they never really worked in practicality as they did in theory. Her "thousand knives surprise" only resulted in her having to use up her entire supply of drywall, and did nothing to stop pesky relatives from sneaking in through her window.

Which is why she came home to find one Ushi Saburo sitting at her kitchen table, feeding Bao-chan bits of tuna from his takeout platter of sushi.

On a normal night, she would have scolded her older brother about overfeeding her already obese cat. But tonight, she was too tired. 

Gai's final beating had done her in. Chakra strain was an unusual occurrence for a light-work chunin like herself. As minor as this bout seemed to be, it left her virtually exhausted and completely useless. She had no energy left.

“What happened to you?” he mumbled, spewing a few grains of rice onto the tabletop. 

She ignored him, flopping face down onto her couch. “I made a friend,” she grumbled into the cushions.

“What?” 

"I made a friend."

"I can't hear you."

“I made a friend!” she spat, bristling up at the older male. “He’s a jounin. He likes turtles, his birthday is in January, and he thinks I really need to work on my close combat reflexes and offensive form!"

Saburo was utterly unfazed by his sister’s outburst. He had long since gotten used to the Ushi way of bottling up one’s feelings until they erupted. 

“Oh, that’s nice,” he grinned, cracking open a can of beer he had swiped from her fridge. “Would Mom want to meet this ‘friend?’”

She pinned him with a sharp glare, yet his smug smirk remained. His dear baby sister was not nearly as intimidating as she liked to think she was.

Saburo shrugged her off, kicking his feet onto the chair across from him. A second beer appeared in his hand and he lightly tossed it to her. She let it bounce off the pillow next to her before she finally sat up. She relished the sound of the can cracking open and indulged in a long gulp.

"So what happened?" He popped another piece of sushi in his mouth, "You piss this guy off or something? Looks like you got your ass kicked."

Bao-chan trilled playfully from the table top. Saburo slipped her another bit to nibble on. 

"I did," she groaned back. "But not because I made him mad or anything."

"So what did you do?"

"Nothing!" she proclaimed, flopping back into the couch, arms stretched to the ceiling in exasperation. "I was minding my own business, then he ambushed me!"

At this, Saburo paused, "Really? A Konoha shinobi just attacked you out of nowhere?"

"Well…" she mumbled into the lip of the can, "The first time he did it, it was an accident. But he was so impressed that I took the hit, he wanted me to stick around and be his personal punching bag."

The teasing smirk dropped from Saburo's face, "...Is this something that needs to be reported?"

"No!" Yasu shook her head, "No… I mean, it's so dumb! I don't want to bother anyone, especially not the Jounin Commander. Or worse, the Hokage."

"... Let me talk to him, then. I have pull with a lot of jounin here. I can get him to stop." The thought of someone tormenting his only sister was making his blood boil. 

"Yeah?" Her head turned towards him with an expression of earnest hope, "Could you?"

"Just tell me his name."

"Maito Gai. Do you know him?"

Saburo froze for a solid minute, his last piece of sushi slipping from his chopsticks and flopping onto the table with a squelch.

Bao-chan quickly swept in to steal his neglected morsel.

"... Maito Gai? Konoha's Green Beast? That Maito Gai?"

"No, the _other_ Maito Gai." She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, Saburo. That one."

A slow, evil grin spread across his face. She watched as his somber expression transformed into one of pure glee. 

He threw his head back in laughter. His booming chortles bounced off the walls around them, "M-maito Gai?!" he laughed more, "Are you crazy? Why are you challenging Maito Gai? You don't stand a chance!"

"Saburo!" she whined. "This isn't funny."

"I can't help you out here, Yasu," he cackled, "You're crazy if you think I'd fight him. Even for you."

"You don't have to _fight_ him--"

"If Maito Gai's the one after you, you're on your own. You don't have a 'friend.'" Saburo mocked, "You have a parasite. I’ve seen how he stalks Hatake Kakashi--”

“Actually, I think they’re genuinely friends,” Yasu argued with a shrug.

“They fight on sight!” he argued. 

“They’re ‘rivals.’”

“What do you mean, ‘rivals?’” 

“I asked around, apparently they have a running bet or something. Sometimes they fight, sometimes they race, or some other stupid thing. I think they both like challenges…” she stopped short, the beer can raised halfway to her mouth. 

“That’s it!”


	8. Chapter 8

Spear & Shield   
Chapter 8

It was seven AM the next day. 

She was ready for him.

Well… She _tried_ to be ready for him. But preparing for Maito Gai was like preparing for a hurricane. You prepared for the worst, hoped for the best, but at the end of the day, it’s out of your hands. 

She woke up at six-thirty, made herself a hearty breakfast. She packed her best gear, wearing her favorite combat vest and best pair of sandals. Once satisfied with her armor, she ran to the nearest training area to start warm-ups.

It was seven AM sharp when she caught a whiff of ozone and was promptly knocked sideways with the force of a tsunami.

Her whole body tumbled feet over head, rolling to a stop at the opposite end of the field.

“Good morning, Gai-san,” she greeted through a mouthful of dirt and grass as she rose from the ground. 

“And A Good Morning to You, My Most Marvelous Student!” he beamed with a level of pride she was unfamiliar with. "Training early, I see! The morning air is good for the warrior spirit!"

 _'Warrior spirit, my ass,'_ she growled inwardly.

If she didn't know better, she would have guessed Gai had gotten up even earlier than she did. Did he even sleep…? How could someone even have this much energy this early in the morning?

She stood up, planting herself with a firm stance. He was practically shining with glee, clearly appreciating her sudden enthusiasm. 

Yasu brushed off her shoulders, shaking some fallen leaves from her combat flak jacket. She looked up to her opponent with an uncharacteristic smirk, cracking her knuckles.

“I’m ready this time, Gai-san.”

Like a bolt of lightning struck them, they were off.

The two collided, impacting hard enough to send a short shock-wave through the ground before breaking apart. As if they had the same plan of attack, the broke apart in tandem and made for the trees.

Gai was _fast_ . Faster than any opponent she had faced before, even that pair of brothers from Mist she ran into on a rendezvous mission years ago. She dodged his kick by bending her knees and launching sideways, landing meters away. His heel struck the ground with a snapping _‘boom!’_ , leaving a meter-wide crater in the mossy ground.

“Yosh!” he declared, spying her instantly, “I’m impressed. You’ve improved, Yasu-chan!”

Her heart fluttered at his declaration, and she had to force down the warm feeling of praise. Her cheeks were red, her face was hot and tingling. Oh gods, she couldn’t let him see her flustered!

So she punched him. 

Or, at least, she tried to. 

Her speed was no match for his. He dodged effortlessly by simply leaning sideways with a precocious wink.

Yasu grit her teeth and twisted her body, swinging both her legs into a crippling sweep-kick right at his knees. The momentum sent her rolling sideways again. 

‘ _Now recoup,’_ she thought, pushing upwards with her arms and disappearing into the trees. _‘He’ll ambush again…’_

She felt it on her right, too fast to dodge.

She caught his punch in both her hands, his hand burning hot with chakra and friction. It was her anger that contained the blow, rather than letting her system absorb it. That burning heat transferred to her, racing up her arms before she forced it back, draining it directly back at him, letting the force of his hit reverberate in their hands.

Her arms shook with effort, but she held fast.

It was only for a moment, so fast she nearly didn't catch it, but Gai's ever-confident grin dropped into a thoughtful frown. His brow furrowed, eyes dripping to concentrate on their joined hands. She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong. Or maybe she could make a witty remark about catching him off-guard.

...Until the branch she stood on snapped, sending them both plummeting to the forest floor.

The two bounced away from one another, each landing on their feet. Yasu glanced at the branch, noting the base was well over three meters in diameter. The fact that it had shattered so easily with an indirect hit told her Gai wasn’t going easy on her.

 _‘He’s serious,’_ she thought as the debris settled around them, _'It's now or never…’_

She leapt away again, putting some space between them. 

"You like bets, don't you?" she huffed, failing to hide the manic desperation in her tone. "Are you up for a challenge, Gai-san?”

From across the field, she saw his eyes _gleam_ , “A challenge, you say?” He pointed at her, “What sort of challenge are you proposing, Yasu-chan?!” He was literally shaking with excitement. 

She bit her lip, sending forth a silent prayer that this would work. “We spar. No weapons, taijutsu only. First to be knocked out or concede loses.”

Those eyebrows of his shot up, “A battle of attrition, then?”

She could tell by his grin that he was intrigued by her offer. So far, they had spent most of her “training” on evasion. His ambushes were strategic, and a little more reckless than he probably should have been. He had been testing her silently, slowly ramping up his attacks to see just how much she could take. Besides, he seemed to really like beating her up.

Part of her knew it was a crazy gambit. She was challenging a taijutsu master in hand-to-hand combat. But she was ready to risk it. She only had one ace up her sleeve so she might as well use it.

Her muscles began to tingle as chakra pumped through her system.

“So what do you say?” she pressed, already taking a stance.

“It was not my intention to duel you,” he replied coolly, also dropping into an offensive pose. “Rather to teach.”

Yasu wasn’t deterred, “Practical use is the best way to learn.”

“I am intrigued by your offer, Yasu-chan. Rest assured, I will not harm you.”

“I told you before,” she crouched, readying herself to pounce. “I’m tough.”


	9. Chapter 9

Spear and Shield   
Chapter 9

By three PM, and the entire training area had been leveled.

The air buzzed with chakra. Gai’s impressive brow shone with sweat, but he was no worse for wear. 

Yasu was in similar straits, fine by all means except mentally. 

‘ _He won’t stop!’_ her brain screamed in frustration, _‘He just won’t stop! No one’s ever lasted this long before!’_

At the very least, Gai should be tired. Hours crawled by and the battle remained just as heated as when it began. He should have realized what a massive waste of time this was and gone home. 

But his resolve to defeat her remained through every hit. He continued the onslaught, showing no signs of fatigue or even slowing down! 

Yasu's one and only talent had finally met its match. She finally found someone who could outlast her in battle. And he ran around in a green jumpsuit.

“Try it again!” he shouted across the gravely field they created, “Channel the chakra into your backfoot when you launch the attack!”

Her fists clenched by her sides, “We’re not training. Stop giving me tips!”

It had been _hours._ He doled out hits that should have broken bones, yet she took them all in stride. When he managed to land a direct hit, she took little to no damage. The worst he was able to do was knock her off-balance or change her line of direction. It was like beating on a training dummy; like no matter how many times he hit, Yasu remained standing. Yet she was never able to fight back with formidable force. It was perplexing… 

He hadn’t been exaggerating when he said her evasion and dodging had improved. She was still far from where he wanted her to be. They would do speed drills, he decided. But first, he had to defeat her.

Still… he's been dishing out powerful blows for hours and showed no signs of slowing down. A normal person would have given in by now. He should be out of energy, strained, and low on chakra reserves.

He had barely worked up a sweat.

“I must say, Yasu-chan… Your endurance surprises me,” he called across the field as they circled one another. The first bit of sweat trickled down the side of his face. It had been a while since someone besides had posed this much of a challenge for him. He had never fought someone who matched him quite like this. It was… enthralling. 

By all means, Yasu looked like she had taken a licking. Her hair was a frayed mess. Leaves, twigs, and dirt stuck to her like a second layer of skin. She bore a few scrapes, and only one bad bruise on her right arm, but was no worse for wear. No matter what attack he used, she was able to absorb every hit as though it didn't even register. 

There was something strange about how she fought, and he wanted to figure out her secret.

Her own hits were paltry at best, especially against him. He could see her giving a greenhorn genin a run for their money, but she could never _actually_ defeat the great Maito Gai.

And yet there she was, getting right back up after each hit he doled out. He had knocked her six ways to Sunday already, but she did not waver. 

Gai truly believed he had finally met his match in endurance.

He had already opened the Third Gate, barely managing to ignore the sharp strain of chakra in his system. His heart beat fast and hard, his brain flooded with a mix of adrenaline, frustration, and admiration. 

It was a nostalgic sort of feeling he didn’t want to soon forget.

But he still wanted to win. And seeing as Yasu wasn’t showing the same signs of exhaustion he was… Well, he’d have to use a last resort.

Yasu watched her opponent keenly, breath hitching as he closed his eyes and focused his energy. He had been using speed to his advantage, flying into her blind spots before she would have a chance to react. He was fighting dirty, landing far more blows than necessary. Her extremities were swollen and red, joints sore and over-exerted. She wanted to go home and take a nap, but knew that was not an option until Maito Gai admitted defeat.

They both knew concession was not an option. 

Yasu continued to stand firm. Her eyes shone with determination. A stark willpower only found in a Konoha shinobi. She was ferocious. 

Something stirred deep in Gai's gut. 

He wanted more of this. He could do this forever. He was under the spell of the challenge. Could he even hurt her? He's barely left a bruise. Gai had managed to put past opponents in the hospital with a single hit. He's ended fights against much stronger enemies in minutes, where Yasu was hours into it already.

He couldn't let her walk away from this. She had too much potential.

Gai took a deep breath through his nose.

Yasu stared, wide-eyed and waiting with baited breath for Gai's next move.

“ _REVERSE LOTUS!”_

She never stood a chance.

Hits came from all angles, so fast that she felt them all as one consuming blow. Her feet gradually left the ground, causing her stomach to drop and all the air to leave her lungs as he pummeled her like a ragdoll.

Her chakra thrashed through her system like an earthquake, rumbling and fracturing in every direction, trying to absorb the many strikes. But it was too much, too fast, and she was spread too thin. She was completely at his mercy. 

Her defense technique was failing. The ace up her sleeve folded and she was done for.

The last hit got her right in the solar plexus. The last thing she remembered before passing out was the horrified look on his beet-red face. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! Thank you for supporting this story!


	10. Chapter 10

Spear & Shield  
Chapter 10

It was three-fifteen PM.

Yasu’s bleary eyes opened to a cloudless blue sky. She remained perfectly still, allowing her senses to return slowly. Her breathing was ragged and a little painful at first. Her lungs were having a bit of difficulty, but the feeling was fading fast. The cool and rocky ground beneath her offered a bit of relief. Her head was still spinning and the edges of her vision were still a bit dark…

“Eh, Yasu-chan?”

The softest kiss of a breeze blew against her cheeks. She sighed into it, finally filling her lungs to capacity and fully regaining her full faculties.

“Gai-san…?”

A beaming smile shown down upon her, blocking the light of the sun above. Gai had materialized a paper fan, and was gently fanning her face. She rolled her head to the side, taking in their surroundings.

It was at that point she realized she was in a crater. 

A shallow one, but a crater nonetheless.

“Wow…” she breathed, brown eyes rolling upwards to her victor. “That was heavy.”

It seems that their little “spar” had gotten a bit out of control. Her plan all along had just been to tire him out… She should have known she could never beat him. 

He was truly an unrelenting Beast.

Gai looked nervous. He shuffled sideways to slump down beside her, arms resting over his knees. He looked much paler than she recalled, with heavy bags under his eyes all of a sudden. 

“Do… Do you feel okay?”

He sounded almost… shy? Afraid? She couldn’t find the right word.

Still laying flat on the ground, she twitched her feet, wiggling her toes. She then did the same with her arms, wiggling her fingers. Her movements were stiff and slow, but she managed.

“I’m okay,” she grinned up at him, utterly punch-drunk and all too happy not to be dead.

She was sore, but not hurt. She’d have some bruising and scrapes, but that was okay. She was a bit tired, and more than a little disappointed in her defeat. Mostly, she was hungry. It was way past her lunchtime, after all. 

“I guess you win…” she added morosely after a minute or two of restful silence. 

To her surprise, Gai shook his head. She turned towards him, lifting up on her elbows to catch a glimpse of his face. He buried his head in his arms, rocking heavily with remorseful sobs, the fan still somehow going strong.

“I Am Deeply Sorry, My Most Wonderful Student!” he proclaimed, tears soaking over his sleeves. 

Yasu glanced around their lovely little crater as he wallowed. Last time she saw him like this was at the new training ground barracks. What happened this time? Did he put a hole through the hospital? Take the roof off Hokage Tower? Turn the Academy into a pile of rubble?

Bits of gravel rolled off her as she dislodged herself from the crater. Yasu heaved herself up beside Gai, noting how his massive frame was shaking with sobs. 

“Gai-san…” she reached out a tentative hand.

The second she made contact with his shoulder, his head snapped up. “Reverse Lotus is a forbidden technique! I vowed I would only use it in _dire circumstances_!”

Yasu took a moment to take in Gai’s tear-stained face and runny nose. And she realized that this pathetic, sobbing mess of tears had just knocked her into a literal crater. Rather effortlessly, she might add.

She had gone all-out in their fight. She fought her best, pulled out every combat maneuver she knew of, and he still K.O.ed her into the dirt.

“A forbidden technique, eh?” a grin began to stretch over her face. “I suppose not many of your opponents have survived it.”

“I didn’t mean to--” 

“Mah, mah… I suppose your ‘youthful spirit’ got the better of you.” 

She tried to calm him with a soft smile. To her satisfaction, his blubbering quieted to a sniffle.

Yasu was rarely the proud type, especially when it came to her shinobi skills. She knew enough to get by, and that was it. She was a ninja because she made the choice to be one at the tender age of six. She followed her older brothers to the academy (much to her mother’s dismay) and stuck with it. She was decent for her level, but nothing extraordinary. By the time she had realized being a shinobi was not _really_ what she wanted, she had no idea how to get out of it.

Yet here she was, going toe-to-toe with Konoha’s legendary Green Beast. She may have lost, but it was a damn good fight.

“Ushi Yasu, you do not understand!” he continued to plead. “I have broken a sacred warrior vow!”

His reluctant companion only shrugged, settling back on the ground to rest her aching bones. A soft smile stayed in place with no effort on her part. “No one’s ever hit me that hard before,” her hands settled behind her head as she watched the clouds roll by. “It was a good fight, too. I haven’t had a chance to spar like that in a while.”

Gai was far from done with his wailing, “What will my students think of their beloved sensei now?!” He continued to groan and sob, declaring that he would do ten-thousands one-handed push-ups in penance.

“Ah,” she sighed, “I guess this means I’m your student now, too.”

She lost fair and square. Looks like her pest problem wouldn’t be going away. Maybe she could bribe the Hokage to send him on a year-long mission somewhere far away… Across the ocean, maybe?

“Eh?” he finally turned towards her, tears still glittering in his eyes. “... You mean it?”

She quirked an eyebrow up at him, still perplexed by his rapidly changing moods. “Well, yeah… I lost.” The word had to be forced from her throat. “And we both agreed to the terms of the bet.”

“Yosh!” he whispered in awe, staring at her like she was something wonderful. 

“ _But_ ,” she added pointedly. “I have some conditions.”

“Yes!” Gai cheered, that shining smile back in place. His tone turned hopeful, “Anything you want, Yasu-chan!”

Her eye twitched. She did not understand this man, and she was beginning to doubt she ever would. “Your lessons can’t get in the way of my work. If I’m on a mission-- even one in the village-- you have to leave me alone. Okay?”

“Agreed!”

“My job is very important to me. So no more ambushing me while I’m at work, alright?”

He was still crying, but smiling now, too. “A Most Exquisite and Noble Calling for such a Delicate Konoha Flower!”

Yasu pursed her lips. She hefted herself off the ground, brushing away the dirt and dust that clung to her clothes. She turned to Gai, still curled up in the dirt, and offered him a hand.

There was a look of pure relief when he took it. Her hands were smaller than his, and rather warm. He felt callouses along the pads of her palm, and knew they were proof of long hours and hard work. 

She stared at him, assessing for any damage. As she had originally thought, she barely left a mark on him. 

It seems he was assessing her as well, “Are you sure you’re alright, Yasu-chan? I can take you to the hospital if you need it.”

Yasu merely rolled her eyes and cocked her hip, “I told you, Gai-sensei, I’m tough.”

Gai’s heart fluttered at the word “sensei.”

“I’ll be fine. Nothing a nice dinner and a good night’s sleep won’t fix.” As if on cue, she yawned widely. Perhaps she could convince Saburo to buy her dinner. He owed her after drinking her beer, after all. Or maybe Ichiro had some leftover specials from the teahouse. She’d go to bed early tonight and get a fresh start tomorrow. This week’s assessments were due soon. Plus the renovations on the Academy… And her father had a private job on the Hyuuga compound he needed help with…

“I should let you rest then,” Gai conceded, still bubbling with pride. “I look forward to our training, Yasu-chan!”

“Yeah… See you soon, Gai-sensei.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There may be a longer delay between chapters this week.


	11. Chapter 11

Spear & Shield  
Chapter 11

A week into her training with Gai and Yasu was _tired_.

 _‘Five AM,’_ she grumbled inwardly. _‘I’m late.’_

Dawn was not a fun time to be awake. 

Worse yet, it was a long walk to where Gai wanted to meet…

It was a lovely little training area, nestled near the southern gate. Trees lined one side, the border wall lined the other, leaving them a good deal of privacy while he tortured her-- err, while they trained.

Yasu trudged the whole way there, dragging her tired feet, forcing herself to push through the apathy that threatened to consume her.

The day before, she had an all-day project with a team of young genins. She had been tasked with repairing a crumbling wall on the Academy’s exterior. A place, she was told, that was often used for the young students to test their newly learned jutsu. The hired genin were a group in their early teens and were devastatingly uninterested in masonry. Their work had been shoddy at best, leaving her to fix all their mistakes during their lunch break. She dismissed them early and spent another hour fixing the wall herself. 

The day, although uneventful, left her feeling very unfulfilled. 

So she trudged along, trying the whole way to smother her dampened mood.

“Good morning,” she called politely to her teacher.

Gai was in the middle of a series of balancing exercises, bending into interesting poses through deep inhales and exhales. 

He grinned down at her from the training post he perched on, “Good morning, Yasu-chan!”

As always, he was loud, greeting her with an enthusiasm she was unable to conceptualize at this ungodly hour. Instead she quietly placed her day pack down by a tree and began to go through more basic stretches. 

"Have you slept well?" he called to her, leaping down from the post.

She glanced up to see concern creasing his brow. For a moment, she recalled his devastation after knocking her unconscious the other day. He wasn’t still worried, was he?

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I mean… yeah I slept fine."

"You seem distracted," he walked up beside her with a hand on his hip, the concern lingering in his eyes.

She met his eyes from her tangled position in the grass. When had he gotten so intuitive?

"I'm just tired," she shrugged, reaching to wrap her hands around the balls of her feet.

"So you _haven't_ been sleeping well."

"I slept fine," she repeated.

"But you just said you were tired."

"It's five in the morning!" she felt the feeling of nagging agitation pulling at the back of her neck.

He put his hand on his chin in a thoughtful manner, “So you _didn’t_ sleep--”

“What are we working on today, Gai-sensei?” she snapped, quickly standing and appearing as ready as ever.

The sooner it started, the sooner it was over.

“Yosh!” he cheered, buying into her distraction. “Such enthusiasm! I expect no less from one of my beloved students.”

And _that_ was the first time someone had referred to Yasu as “beloved.”

“We’re not running laps again, are we?” she groaned.

“Unfortunately no,” he sighed sadly before perking up, “I had an idea!”

“Okay… Hit me with it.”

“Not this time!” he leapt away from her, shooting back a few meters and landing gracefully on one foot. “I believe I have fully assessed your defensive ability.”

“So no more ambush attacks?” she called, the slightest bit of hope coating her voice.

“Not this time!” he affirmed once more, this time with a wink. “Instead, I would like you to deflect.”

“Deflect what--?”

She felt it coming this time.

It was through pure reflex and a newly honed speed that she was able to dodge the boulder he threw at her.

“You said no more ambushes!” she cried, staring at the rock that was at least half her size. How had he thrown it so effortlessly? Where had it even come from?!

Gai smirked from across the training field, radiating pride. “Such speed! My precious student has improved so much!"

Yasu almost blushed. "How am I supposed to deflect a _boulder_?"

"With your defensive chakra, of course!" he preened, "I suspect your technique can be used for more than absorption. I want you to feed the force of the hit back out." He struck his fist out, "Turn it into an attack!"

Yasu stared at him, blinking a few times. "I… I hadn't thought of that.”

Truth be told, she had been trying to be coy about her little secret "talent." 

Her old sensei and genin team mates _may_ have known about it, she was never sure. They knew she was the "tank" of the team, but none of them had ever asked how she managed. It was her secret, to develop on her own. The technique was subtle, even to chakra sensors. It was the one thing in this world she called her own.

So she was a little annoyed that Gai had figured it out so easily. On a fluke hit, no less.

But still, impressive. He's intuitive. Way more than she originally gave him credit for.

“What made you think of that?”

Gai scratched the back of his head, “I was thinking about our spar the other day. A few times when I landed a hit, you blocked and sent it back at me. I felt it.”

“Ah.”

She would have thought that fight had been pretty basic for him. He’s faced down legendary opponents, why would she be so special? 

“So I consulted one of my students--”

“You have other students?”

“Yes!” he beamed, “Neji! One of my finest pupils, a genius--”

“What did you tell him about me?” she asked, more curious than accusatory. 

“Why, I recounted our epic battle, of course!” he beamed, “I mentioned your technique, and he came up with a compelling theory!”

“Do tell.” She drawled, leaning against a nearby tree and propping her head up with her fist. His enthusiasm made her lips twitch up into a smile.

He put on his “cunning” face again, as if he had solved a great mystery. “Your technique involves your chakra coating your skin, muscles, and cartilage... Many have attempted to utilize similar tricks in the past to make their body hard like stone. You, however, leave the chakra loose and uncondensed. It flows to the impact area, and _absorbs_ the hit instead of trying to deflect it. Am I right?”

Yasu pursed her lips, drawn between upset and fascinated that he had figured her secret out so easily. 

“Your chakra allows the force of the blow to diffuse safely, so your body remains unharmed in the process. Ideal against blunt, physical combat, but rather useless when it comes to kunai and weaponry.”

Yasu flinched at his curt wording, but nodded nonetheless. 

“However! I had a thought: if you’re able to control your chakra to that extent, you should be able to take the force and feed it back out to your opponent.”

Yasu dwelled on Gai’s proposition for a minute or two. She experimentally sent a wave of chakra through her arms, trying to manipulate it in a wave-like motion, but it didn’t obey. The chakra swelled at her wrists before returning to her core. 

“...How do I do it?"

His brow creased, looking thoughtful. "How did you develop this technique? What are the mechanics of it?"

Yasu thought for a minute, but could only shrug, "Um… well, I don't know, really. It just... happens? No one taught me, I've been doing it since I was a kid."

"Is it a blood-limit technique?"

"I don't think so… It's more like a reflex my body adapted. It started before I even enrolled in the Academy.”

"Interesting," he hummed, face more serious than she had ever seen him before. “Although I am wondering how a young child was able to develop something so useful without actual combat and proper training.

She sighed. Of course she had come up with theories behind her technique. She never thought she would have to share them, though.

“I have three older brothers…” she admitted, “All shinobi. The oldest was a genin before I even got to the academy. Since I was the youngest, I was the one they all…” she pondered, searching for the right word, “The one they all... _practiced_ on.”

To his credit, Gai looked uncomfortable.

“It wasn’t that bad!” she added quickly. “It’s just... we were kids. And sometimes those idiots tried out jutsus and techniques they couldn’t control. I ended up getting knocked around a lot… So I adapted.”

At that point in her story, Gai was nearly sobbing openly, “My Dear Student! It Breaks Your Dear Sensei’s Heart to Know You Endured Such Strife!”

“Eh, I don’t think ‘strife’ is the right word…" she sighed, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "We were just dumb kids playing ninja.”

Yasu didn't bring up the time Jiro accidentally knocked her off the roof. Or when Saburo set her hair on fire. Or the time Ichiro dropped a ten-kilogram bag of sand right on her head after she accidentally set off one of his traps.

“Your hardships have made you stronger!” he announced, eyes ablaze, “But it is my solemn vow as your sensei to never allow you to be harmed again!”

 _‘He doesn’t get it,’_ she sighed. _'Must be an only child.'_

“So what about this ‘deflecting’ technique? Do you think you can teach me?”

His sunshine smile was answer enough. 

_“Yosh!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter I had pre-written. I'm trying to write a little each day but usually can't find much time to do so. Hopefully I will keep up with the pace I have set.  
> Regardless, thank you all so much for reading! Thank you for your comments and kudos! They all mean so much to me, thank you, thank you, thank you!


	12. Chapter 12

Spear & Shield    
Chapter 12

Boulders were being hurled at an amazing rate, one would think a meteor shower had landed on Earth. 

With each stone that landed, Yasu became more and more certain that the terrain of this area would be forever changed by their training.

“Stop dodging!” Gai barked from across the clearing, hurling another rock. 

He was in full sensei-mode, demanding perfection and an inhuman amount of repetition. When he said, "Give it your all!" he damn well meant it.

“I can’t--! Help--! It!” she hollered back, twisting through a whirlwind of flying rocks. “I--! Told you--! It’s a reflex!”

One of the smaller rocks flew too fast for her to dodge, and bounced off her shoulder. 

"Throw it back!"

She frowned, reaching for the fallen rock.

"That's not what I mean! Throw it back with your chakra!"

He made it sound so easy. Like she was just supposed to know how to do it by instinct. 

Another small rock bounced off her body. “Gai-sensei, I can’t concentrate if you keep throwing rocks at me!”

Abruptly, the rainfall of rubble stopped.

“Hmm… You may be right.”

Yasu let out a sigh of relief, “I think we’re going about this from the wrong angle. I won’t be able to do it out of pure defensive need. Instead, let’s build up to--”

_“Leaf Whirlwind!!”_

Yasu caught the first kick with her forearm, but the second kick was sent to her knees, too fast for her to follow. Before her body even hit the ground, he sent a third kick to her side, sending her skidding a few meters away.

Her body skidded to a stop along the ground.

“I’m okay,” she mumbled into the grass, sparing Gai a quick thumbs-up.

She was answered with a disappointed sigh. “No, Yasu-chan. Absorb and _deflect,_ ” Gai repeated slowly with accompanying hand gestures. 

She stood up, shaking off a bit of dirt and grass. With a heavy breath she nodded, “Yeah, yeah… Okay. One more time.”

There was a feeling forming in her gut she didn't like. Normally, she only felt disappointment in herself when it came to architecture. She never really felt this way about her ninjutsu... Maybe because she never really tried this hard. She didn't want to say she actually cared about the technique, but she knew for sure she didn't want to let down Gai-sensei.

Determination set in her eyes. He saw it, too.

She nodded, "Let's do this."

He flew at her, only slightly slower than his usual speed. There was no discretion in his form, clearly wanting her to follow his movements. He leapt up from meters away, arching down to her while spinning through the air. One leg stretched out, winding up for another mean-looking kick.

Yasu concentrated, lifting her arms in front of her defensively. She lined up his kick, and _focused._

She imagined her chakra gathering in front of her, envisioning it as a fluid mass. She could feel it rushing to her arms and inflating to a protective shield. She felt the pressure of his kick, and let it travel through her system. Their energy melded together, colliding and merging like the rapids of a river.

But this time, hers were stronger.

She allowed the power of Gai’s hit to rush in and dissolve into her system. At first, it felt overwhelming… Her body screamed at her to release the energy like she normally did. Holding it was painful and more difficult than she thought it would be.

Sweat began to pour down the side of her face and her arms shook with great effort. Gai saw her struggle and increased the pressure as much as he could as his other foot landed on the ground.

Yasu slid back, the soles of her sandals dragging up the grass she stood on. Her knees quaked to hold her stance, and _he wasn't letting up!_

If only she could just…!

With every ounce of strength she possessed, Yasu pushed back--!

...And promptly crumpled to the ground.

Gai’s leg finished its follow-through, only barely not colliding with the side of Yasu’s head. 

“I can’t do it,” she moaned from the ground, clutching her suddenly pounding head. “I don't think I can do it.”

She felt hands on her shoulders, and looked up to see Gai crouched before her. There was a soft look on his face, care and pride filling his dark-grey eyes. 

She felt her shoulders relax beneath his palms, instantly calm under his reassuring gaze.

“It’s okay,” he told her with a gentle squeeze. “Do you want to try again?”

She blinked back tears she hadn’t realized were gathering in her eyes, “Yes, please.”

He helped her up, squeezing her hands reassuringly in his, “Failure is all a part of learning, Yasu-chan. Without failure, we never improve.”

On some level, Yasu felt like she was a little too old to be hearing that. But on another level, it made her feel a lot better, so she took it. 

She cracked a half-smile up at Gai and nodded at his encouragement, “Alright. One more time.”

Gai resumed his spot at the edge of the field, and Yasu stood in the middle.

For a moment, she felt utterly vulnerable. She didn’t have her little secret any more. Her back wasn’t up against the wall, and no one stood by her side. She was open, waiting, ready for an attack.

But she trusted him.

"I'm ready, now."

He smiled back at her, then took a single breath.

He came charging at her, back to his usual speed. She had no time to configure her chakra, so she surged forth and met him at his hit.

The pair clashed like storm clouds, shaking the area around them with a thunderous " _bang_!"

There, she was able to hold him.

She felt the force of their clash ring through her system. For a moment, she was sure she wouldn't be able to hold it…!

Until she saw the fire in his eyes. It was the same fire she felt in herself.

Her limbs trembled with the effort of holding him back, and he pushed _harder._

Biting her lip with determination, she summoned every ounce of strength she possessed. The force she was struggling to contain suddenly surged forth, exploding through her palms. 

A white light engulfed them both, and Gai went _flying._

There was a horrible crash and the air clouded over.

“Oh no,” she gasped, eyes growing wide in horror.

A plume of smoke, dust, and rubble surrounded the area where Gai had smashed into the boarder wall. She could make out the crumbling cracks webbing out from where he landed, but couldn’t see him.

“Oh no, oh no, no, no, no!”

She bolted to the wall, flying through the rocks and dirt, to a crumpled lump of green and orange lodged into the brickwork.

“Gai-sensei!” she cried, “Are you okay?!”

The man was bent into a strange pose, embedded into the wall. Her hands shook as she reached out to him, gently grasping his shoulder and yanking him down. His dizzy expression wobbled as they tumbled to the ground below with matching painful groans. 

“Gai-sensei? Gai-sensei!” she cried, flipping him onto the soft grass. His eyes were dark and bleary, blinking up at her with an unfocused gaze. 

Her brow was tented with worry, mind racing to recall the symptoms of concussions her old sensei had her memorize. She pulled his eyelids, frantically snapping her figures to get him to focus. 

_'Please be okay, please be okay,'_ she chanted in her head.

"Eeh…?" he gasps hoarsely, "Y-yasu-chan…?"

"Gai-sensei!" This time she cried in relief. 

All the wind was knocked out of her a second later as two iron-strong arms wrapped around her neck in the most enthusiastic embrace she had ever experienced.

" _Yosh!"_ Gai cheered (right in her ear!), "A Most Wonderous Display of Strength from my Youthful Student! You Are Truly a Blossoming Flower of Beauty, Yasu-chan!"

Yasu's muffled words were muttered inti the crook of his shoulder, "...T-thank you, Gai-sensei… Are you sure you're okay?"

At this, Gai began to tear up, "What have I done to deserve such kindness from my wonderful student?" He started to rock side to side in the grass, dragging Yasu with him. Her footing was lost immediately, and the two wound up awkwardly tangled, rolling in the dirt. 

Yasu forced her head up, having to prop her chin on his chest to look him in the eye, "Please let me go," she mumbled, feeling her cheeks flush red.

Gai pouted, eyes still shining with prideful tears, but did as she asked.

Yasu sighed as she straightened herself out, sitting back on her knees. Her concern had gone from "panicked" to "mild," but it seemed like Gai was bouncing back. "Are you _sure_ you're okay?" she pressed once more.

A sparkling, confident grin accompanied by a wink and his signature thumbs-up assured her. "No worries, Yasu-chan. I'm tough."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

Spear and Shield   
Chapter 13

“I can fix it,” Yasu said, voice coated with cautious optimism. “The hole’s not that deep. I’m sure I can fix it.”

She was _not_ sure she could fix it. 

Gai, however, had no doubts.

“I have complete faith in you, my Blossoming Azalea!”

Biting her lip, Yasu knelt to the ground and took a scroll out of her hip-pack. Gai watched as the same array of old and strange tools appeared, neatly aligned and perfectly clean. She pulled out a large chisel out of the mix, matching it to an equally-sized hammer. 

“I think I have enough cement mix…?” she said, unsure, “I won’t know until the loose rubble is cleared out. Oh no, I don’t have paint! Do you think they’ll notice?”

Gai raised an eyebrow, eyes casting over the various other mis-colored patches that happened to appear on this particular stretch of the wall, “I’m certain no one of importance will notice.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “And if they ask we’ll tell them what happened. This is a training area, after all. Accidents are bound to happen.”

Yasu had learned that accidents were a little _more_ bound to happen when she was with Maito Gai. Larger, Gai-sized accidents.

Speaking off, the hole she had created was substantial. She wasn’t sure if that spoke more to her strength or the structural integrity of the wall… 

It was about twice the size of Gai himself, deep enough that she could vaguely make out the outline of his body. She thought back to the crater he had put in her days earlier and mentally compared the sizes. 

Hers was bigger.

“A quick patch ‘n seal,” she murmured, “Then I can run to the market for paint… Unless Village Maintenance has some I can use. It would be easier than color-matching…”

Gai couldn’t help the soft smile that came to his face as he watched her work. There was a precision and diligence to the way she concentrated on the material in front of her. Her whole self was focused on her work. The rest of the world didn’t exist. She poured focus, passion, and care through her hands, showing more care and concern for that hole in the wall than she had the entire time they were training. 

He didn’t understand it, but he admired it nonetheless.

A glance at the sun told him it was already past noon. Guilt tugged at his chest as he watched Yasu work. 

"Ne, Yasu-chan?" he began, tentative.

"Hm?"

The guilt began to manifest as a lump in his throat he couldn't quite swallow. "I-- erm..." he cleared his throat, "I have an appointment today… err, at the hospital, you see."

She turned away from the hole in the wall to give him a look of speculation, "Oh? Is everything alright?"

"Yes, of course!" He at least knew to look sheepish, "I promised someone I would go to the appointment with them."

As much as Yasu didn't like being left with another Gai-sized repair job, she appreciates the sentiment more. "Well… that's alright I guess. I can finish up here."

Gai's body bent into a deep bow, "Thank You, My Most Wonderful Student!" He shot back up, “I promise we will continue your progress another day!”

“You promise?” she did her best to imitate her youngest brother, giving Gai her best interpretation of puppy-dog eyes.

She could tell Gai was fighting back tears, “Yosh! Of course, Yasu-chan!”

She rolled her eyes, hiding a teasing chuckle under her breath. Turning back to the wall, she bade him goodbye, “I’ll see you soon, Gai-sensei.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short one. The next one's longer, I promise! Thank you all for reading!


	14. Chapter 14

Spear & Shield   
Chapter 14

She was being followed.

Ushi Yasu wound her way through the bustling streets of Konoha’s market district. She kept her hands in her pockets, forcing her shoulders to relax. She milled around the stalls, sometimes picking up light bits of small-talk with the vendors, but mostly keeping to herself. The grocery bag she had looped around her wrist swayed gently with each step she took, the produce and dry-goods within tapped a steady rhythm against her thigh. 

She finally got _true_ confirmation of a stalker when she passed a jounin while rounding a corner. The jounin seemed to be busy evaluating an array of fresh-caught river fish, but lifted her head and tossed Yasu a questioning look as she passed. Yasu met her eye with a withered shrug.

Two turns and a loop-around later, and Yasu’s mysterious companion still hadn’t given up. 

It was starting to get annoying. 

So Yasu picked up her pace slightly, making her turns more erratic, weaving through seldom-used back alleyways. She hopped a gate, taking the opportunity to leap to the rooftops, tip-toeing carefully to avoid damaging any bricks or tiles.

The sun was falling lower and lower as Yasu began to realize she had gone in the exact opposite direction of her apartment. 

Bao-chan was probably getting hungry…

Yasu sighed, pausing briefly to gather her thoughts. She didn't want to bring another stalker home, but whoever they were, they wouldn't give up.

Finally, her boundless journey came to an end on the rooftop garden of the academy. 

"Can you just show yourself, already? Please?" she grumbled, foregoing politeness and letting her agitation be known. "I don't like being followed."

 _‘I just wanna go home,’_ she whined, inwardly.

A breeze picked up, bringing with it a flurry of leaves. From within the leaves appeared a young girl.

She stood with a hand on her hip, head tilted back slightly while she stared Yasu down her little button nose. Despite her haughty expression, Yasu could see something in the way her eyes gleamed. Her cheek twitched as if repressing a smile. The two-bun hairstyle made her face look even more youthful, giving Yasu the mental image of an arrogant toddler. 

“Hm,” the young girl scoffed, “I guess you’re alright. I’m surprised you didn’t catch me earlier. I’ve been following you for some time, now.”

“Yeah, an hour and a half. I know.”

The girl blanched immediately. “Eh?! You knew the whole time?”

“I was hoping you would just go away,” she admitted with a shrug, “All I’ve done is buy groceries and walk around the village... Why were you following me? I wasn’t _doing_ anything.”

“You… You were trying to _bore_ me out of hiding?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Yasu glanced down at her grocery bag, “Can you stop now? I really want to get home. I have to feed my cat.”

“B-but!” the girl threw her hands up, her imperious front falling completely, “Don’t you want to know _why_ I was following you?”

Yasu huffed a very large sigh, allowing her shoulders to slump. She looked out over to the other rooftops, taking note of one building’s patchy exterior. She would have to put in another work order in the morning...

“Look, I’m really tired. I’ve had a long week, and I have about three D-ranks lined up in the morning. So I’m too tired to fight you. But we can tell everyone you beat me, okay? If anyone asks, you took me down hard and let me limp back home after I begged you for mercy. Sound fair?”

Still, the girl seemed perplexed, “No!” she admonished. “I wasn't following you because I wanted to fight you! I just wanted to meet you!”

Now the confusion passed to Yasu, “... Meet me? Why?”

“I wanted to make sure you were worthy of Gai-sensei,” she huffed, crossing her arms.

“Gai-'sensei’, huh?” Of course. She finally meets another one of his students face-to-face and she’s another weirdo. At this realization, Yasu pulled a face, “To be clear, _he_ chose _me_.”

A bright pink flush flooded the girl’s cheeks, “I knew it!”

“I mean, I guess it was accidental at first. But he was so persistent…”

Her brown eyes lit up, “He was?”

“And I suppose everything’s been going pretty well so far…” Yasu looked thoughtful, "My taijutsu is better than it’s ever been. I’m getting faster, too, and the training has really helped my overall strength.”

“Wait,” she interrupted, waving her hands in confusion, “Training?”

“Yeah?”

“I-I thought… I thought you two were, you know,” she leaned forward, cupping a hand against her mouth to whisper, “ _Together._ ”

Yaus felt every muscle in her body tense at once. The quiet bustling sounds of the village slowly faded away, replaced by a crescendoing, high-pitched whine.

Yasu froze still.

Her mind began to race. Dear gods above, why couldn’t they have just fought? How did these people find her? Why didn't they just fight? Why couldn’t this girl just ambush her like Gai? Why couldn’t she be _normal_ ninja-weird? Why did she have to be weird-weird?

“ _Why would you think that?_ ” Yasu spoke loud and pointed, forcing every facet of expression from her face like a robot. She would not let this child see her sweat. Panic and alarm mixed with the horrible feeling of anxiety flooded her chest.

Curse this young girl and her deranged imagination.

The girl took a step back, alarmed by the force of Yasu’s voice. She glanced around sharply, hoping they weren’t drawing unnecessary attention.

“I’m sorry!” she placated, “I-it’s just you’ve been spending so much time together--”

“You’ve been spying on us?” Now Yasu’s tone was beginning to resemble her mother’s. Here she was, standing on a rooftop, scolding a child. 

“Not me! Well, I mean, not _just_ me--”

Yasu’s hands came to slap against her face in frustration. She groaned into her palms and sank to her knees. 

Who was it? Who told? Was it Saburo? ...Kakashi? 

… Or were Gai’s boisterous coercions simply just _loud_ enough to draw the attention of the whole village?

“Is that what people are saying?” she groaned. “About Gai and I?”

“No, no, no!” the girl tried again, “It’s not like that! It’s just-- I mean-- We--” she sputtered, “It’s just… Gai-sensei… Well, it hasn’t been the easiest time for Gai-sensei lately. I only followed you because I was worried about him! I’m sorry for assuming…”

Yasu’s embarrassment quickly dissolved, replaced by stark concern. “What do you mean by that? Is Gai-sensei okay?”

She thought back to his hasty exit yesterday, where he uncharacteristically left her to patch the damaged wall herself. She had figured he would jump at the chance to help her fix it, but given his excuse, she had brushed it off.

The girl fiddled with her fingers, one hand twitching towards her kunai pouch before she clasped both her hands behind her back, “It’s our team mate, Rock Lee. He… He was injured very badly during the chunin exams…”

Yasu allowed herself a moment to absorb the information. The girl was doing her best to maintain a neutral face, but Yasu could see the cracks forming in her façade. Yasu felt the same types of cracks pulling at the corners of her mouth, down around the back of her neck, creeping along her arms and slithering down her back. 

Flashes of memories appeared against her will. Hospital visits to her own teammates, the gut-churning look of fear on her old sensei’s face… It was something she had learnt to live with during her ninja career. But the fact that this young girl was going through it, too… That Gai was now the helpless teacher… It made Yasu’s heart twist.

“Yesterday, Tsunade-sama was finally able to take a look at Lee’s injuries. She thinks there’s a surgery she can do to fix him, but the outlook doesn’t look good. If you know Gai-sensei… He took Lee’s injuries very personally. If Lee doesn’t heal… I don’t know what Gai-sensei will do. But it scares me.”

Yasu sighed a weighty breath, standing up straight for the first time that day. For a moment, the two stood in compassionate silence, marinating in unspoken feelings of uncertainty and apprehension.

“I… I didn’t know any of this.” To be honest, Yasu was a little troubled by it. Gai had seemed like such an open book, it was a little jarring to know he had been hiding this from her. At this point, she knew his favorite restaurant (Mako’s Finest in the market district because it has the freshest sashimi and the curry menu is quite good), his favorite color (green, because it is the color springtime, youth, and growth), and even knows his win-loss ratio to Kakashi (51-51, but Kakashi hasn’t been around lately, so they hadn’t had a chance to break the tie). 

Come to think of it, while he had sung praises for his genin students until her ears had bled, Yasu quickly realized she knew virtually nothing about them outside of their fighting styles.

“Your name’s Tenten, right?”

She nodded sheepishly.

“Would you like to get some dinner? My treat.”


	15. Chapter 15

Spear & Shield    
Chapter 15

Yasu learned a few things about Tenten during their dinner at Ichiraku. 

First of all, Tenten was not as weird as she originally thought.

A kindhearted, idealistic, --albeit mislead-- teenage girl? Yes. A weirdo, stranger-obsessed, stalker? Not really.

She learned her hobbies included cleaning her (very large) arsenal of weapons, and fortune-telling. Her favorite colors were pink and green, but not when they were paired together. She was an orphan and considered her team her family. And while she wasn't what Yasu would call totally _normal,_ she wasn't a total weirdo, either.

Although, it was safe to say at this point that Yasu actually quite _liked_ the weird ones. So perhaps her standard for “weirdo” was a bit off-kilter.

“One hundred percent hit rate?" Yasu echoed, forcing herself to swallow a mouthful of noodles, "That’s amazing!”

Tenten blushed, mixing the remnants of the noodles at the bottom of her bowl, “Thank you.” 

“My marksmanship was always below average.”

“What’s your specialty, then?”

Yasu paused, her eyes sliding over to Tenten. “You know you’re not supposed to ask that, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s impolite,” Yasu explained. “Ninja code. If you don’t know someone’s specialty, you never ask them directly.”

Tenten’s brow furrowed, “I don’t get it. That’s not part of the ninja code we learned in the Academy.”

Yasu suppressed the urge to laugh at the novice, “It’s an unspoken rule. Once you get out on the field more, you’ll understand how it works.”

Of course, Tenten bristled at her intonation, “What's the big deal? It’s just a question!”

“Shinobi don’t go about giving up all their secrets," she explained, "If you don’t know about someone’s technique and skills, it means they’re either keeping them a secret or they’re so mediocre, no one’s cared enough to notice.”

“Oh,” Tenten turned back to her nearly-empty bowl, “I mean, when you put it like that…”

Yasu shrugged, offering the girl a small smile, “Don’t get me wrong, ninja code is _dumb_. But it’s just the way things are…” after a pause she added, “Usually, you would learn these things from your jounin-sensei. But I don’t think Gai-sensei uses it at all, so it makes sense he’s never explained it to you.”

“He’s a good teacher,” Tenten sighed, slumping forward against the counter, “But social nuances aren’t his thing.”

“You can say that again,” Yasu grinned.

The two shared a chuckle and the line between uncomfortable strangers and kindred spirits finally dissolved completely. 

Yasu smiled kindly down to her companion, “It’s endurance, by the way.”

“Huh?”

“Endurance would be my specialty. If I have one, that is.”

“Oooh,” Tenten drawled, a cat-like grin stretching across her face, “Is that why Gai-sensei likes training with you?”

Yasu pursed her lips. “I think so, yes,” she snapped her chopsticks thoughtfully, “We could probably spar for days on end before one of us gets tired. We haven't tried yet, though.”

“This makes so much sense!” Tenten declared, widening her double-edged smile, “It's just like our test.”

Yasu gave her a perplexed stare, mouth overflowing with noodles. 

“Our genin test! He made us fight him. If we gave up at any point, he would have failed us. But we kept going as a team and passed.”

Slowly at first, then all at once, Yasu connected the dots.

She had been digging her own grave all along.

Would Gai have given up on her if she had conceded? Would he have left her alone if she had just thrown the fight? What _actually_ drew him to her? Was it her technique or had he simply been impressed by her tenacity? Why hadn’t she just given up in the first place?! Would that have made him go away...?

“...So, you said you saw good health in Lee’s future. That’s good!” she squeaked, her voice jutting up a few pitches.

Tenten noticed her companion's suddenly unsettled demeanor, but politely ignored it. “I hope so… But Gai-sensei’s fortune was _much_ more interesting,” she slyly turned the conversation back to their original confrontation.

The two kunoichi shared a beleaguered look, each hoping the other would just give up and give in already. 

“Let me guess,” Yasu slurrped, “Love?”

Of course it was love. Almost every fortune ever told predicted love. The whole point of fortune telling was to prepare oneself for falling in love. But Yasu was never the type to care about such things, especially when it came to funny old wives tales about tea leaves and palm lines. She was waiting for a fortune telling method that could accurately predict sales at the grocery store. 

"He talks about you, you know."

"Yeah, I figured. He talks about you three a lot, too."

This made Tenten smile, which made Yasu smile too. Right up until Tenten said, "After we found out love was in his future, you could say we put two and two together."

"You and Lee thought this up?"

"Neji was there, too."

"Wow. What are the chances of three young geniuses all being wrong?"

"Hey!" Tenten huffed, secretly pleased Yasu had included her as a "genius." Normally just Neji got the recognition, maybe Lee if he was lucky… Tenten hardly ever. 

"So who's idea was it to follow me around?"

"... That might have been mine."

There was something in the way she said it, looking like a kicked puppy. It finally burst poor Yasu's little heart, and she found herself laughing at the poor girl. 

"Next time," she chuckled with a wink, "We'll work on your tracking skills."

Tenten learned a few things about Yasu during their dinner at Ichiraku’s.

First of all, Yasu was nice.

Awkward, socially stilted, and a little weird? Sure. But she was nice.

Yasu had never actually gotten angry at Tenten for following her around while she was shopping. Instead, she gave Tenten a free meal and good company, even offering to do their shopping together next time. Tenten appreciated the level of maturity Yasu carried herself with. It wasn’t something Tenten was used to, so it was refreshing. She never considered herself one to be won over easily, but Tenten found herself liking Ushi Yasu.

As they parted ways, Tenten found herself leaving Yasu with one final thought.

_‘At least Gai-sensei isn’t dating some weirdo.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote and re-wrote this chapter, like, four times. I'm still not totally satisfied with it. Bear with me, we're getting to the good stuff soon.  
> Also, I'm so sorry I haven't responded to the latest wave of comments! I'm trying to respond to them all, but suck at human communication so...  
> Anyway, thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Sappy feels.

Spear & Shield    
Chapter 16

“So where are we going?”

Yasu and Gai walked together, a day pack strapped to Gai’s back. She had been a little nervous when she first saw him with it, but he promised her a short trip and a free lunch. Lord knows that Yasu's biggest weakness was a scenic view and free food.

"Not far," he said with a smile. His pace kept him a stride or two ahead of his companion.

Yasu followed at a more leisurely pace, noting that there was a hint of chill in the air. Autumn was near its end, making way for the colder months. That meant winterizing and getting ready for the rain. Even Konoha's mild winters still required preparation. Her priorities will shift from new construction to maintenance. If it slowed down enough, she may even be assigned field missions again.

 _‘Maybe all this combat training will pay off…’_ she thought with a frown. 

As if reading her thoughts, Gai began to speak, “I noticed some jounin making use of your housing building. They say it’s very nice. Spacious, even.”

Yasu felt heat rise to her cheeks, “Oh? I wasn’t aware that the Hokage approved it for occupation already.”

“Well, many homes were damaged in the Sand and Sound invasion…”

At the mention of the invasion, Yasu’s mouth suddenly ran dry as a feeling she had shoved to the deepest part of her gut crept up her throat. It glued her teeth shut, rendering her unable to reply directly. Instead, she shoved shaking hands into her pockets, offering him a quiet hum of acknowledgment and continuing their hike in silence.

Gai’s stride fell a bit slower, and soon the pair matched in step. He noticed the shift in the air, watching her carefully out of the corner of his eye.

Her gaze was cast downward, watching her own feet blindly walk the trail before them. His hand twitched with the urge to reach out to her, but he kept a firm hold on the straps of his pack. 

Thankfully, their destination was nearing.

“Up here, to the right,” he told her with a grin, eagerly marching forward and leading her off the path.

Whatever Yasu had been feeling during the last leg of their walk, it gave way to pure awe. 

They stepped through the treeline into a scene from another world. Somehow, nestled within the lush forest that surrounded Konoha, lay a wasteland.

He had brought her to a hillside utterly devoid of life. The ground was nothing more than sand and gravel, chunks of rock scattered from past destruction wrought by an unknowable force. Nothing grew here, no brush or weeds or grass. Not even a speck of moss could be found along the barren ground. No animals or insects were among the rubble, the whole area was utterly lifeless. She could only imagine the horrors that caused such devastation. 

Birds could no longer be heard. No leaves rustled, even the air itself seemed stagnant and lifeless. There was a strange odor here, she couldn’t quite place, but it was familiar.

She hasn’t been to places like this before, but she’s heard of them. Deadzone. Wastelands. Barren fields. Places where such awful things occurred, the earth itself was changed, and life could no longer be sustained.

"This is where I first opened the Eight Gates." He told her, hands on his hips and a proud grin on his face. 

Ah.

That explained it. It also explained why they were so far from the village. Before, Yasu had compared Gai to a natural disaster as a joke. Now she was terrified to realize just how right she had been. The thought of such destruction anywhere near her village was too horrible for her to even think about.

Yasu was still in a state of dumbfounded astonishment. Her mouth gaped like a fish as she stared at him with wide, nearly fearful eyes.

She had _thought_ Gai had been going all-out before. He’s put her through the wringer with some of the most intense training of her life, yet he _hadn’t even scratched the surface of his true strength._

“Are you hungry?” Gai asked her with a casual grin, already reaching into his pack. “We should eat before training to maximize our energy.”

Their walk had taken a fair chunk of the morning, and Yasu had really skimped on breakfast. Gaining her breath back once more, she pipped, “Eh, I could eat.”

Her sandals kicked up soot and soil as Gai led her across the barren field. There was a pile of jagged rocks jutting up from the ground, as if the earth itself had been compressed upwards, leaving strange clusters of stalagmites dotted around the edges of the field. This only added to the otherworldly effect this area had, making Yasu wonder if she was actually dreaming.

“I have tamagoyaki, onigiri with pork, and salad,” he produced two bentos and a container of rice balls, handing her one as he took a seat on one of the fallen sheets of rock. 

Yasu smiled, considerably warmed by the gesture of him feeding her, enough to allow her to relax in such a strange place. 

When he made the offer of a more mild training day, Yasu jumped at the invitation. Her genin team used to make day trips with their sensei fairly regularly. It was good team-building… And a good excuse to blow-off their genin responsibilities. Bonding like this was important, or so she had convinced herself. Just as important as the pile of maintenance D-ranks and two courier C-ranks she had been assigned, right?

“Itadakimasu!” the both chorused.

Then she took a bite. 

Her face fell to stone, head dipping until she was covered in shadow. “Gai-sensei…?”

“Hm?”

She could barely sputter out her answer “... This is amazing.”

The omelet was cooked to perfection, with fresh-cut vegetables, and perfectly seasoned. The rice cooked evenly, and the meat was tender.

“Eggs are an excellent source of protein!” he replied through a mouthful of rice. She just now noticed that he had carefully tucked some of his hair behind his ears to keep it out of the way while he ate. 

It was something small that she found endearing. It was the little things that made time with Gai enjoyable. And him being an amazing cook was definitely a bonus. 

The whole meal was great. 

Every bite she took was amazing. _‘Maybe Ichiro could use a new chef at the tea house…’_

For a while, they enjoyed the meal in silence. Yasu thought back to her dinner with Tenten and the slight uncomfortableness of dining with a stranger. It was much better eating with a friend.

“How long do you think we could spar before one of us gets tired?” the question fell from her lips without any thought.

Gai pondered on the question, “The longest I’ve ever fought continuous was approximately three days--”

“Three days?!”

“But that was a life-or-death situation. If we’re only training without intent to seriously harm… No soldier pills, and _if_ we didn’t collapse from chakra exhaustion... Well, at least three days, then.”

“Three whole days. You think?”

He nodded. The corner of Yasu’s mouth twitched upwards, “She told me that’s why you like training with me.”

“Who told you?”

“Tenten-chan.”

That made him pause mid-bite. “...Tenten-chan told you? You and Tenten-chan spoke?” he echoed, dropping the riceball back into the container. “When?”

“Two nights ago? We got dinner at Ichiraku.”

Gai looked more confused than anything, “I wasn’t aware you were acquainted. I was hoping to be the one to introduce you.” He sounded a _little_ disappointed, which made her think he may have had something planned.

Yasu kept her voice as neutral as possible, explaining plainly, “We met the other day and started talking… So I took her to dinner. She seems like a nice kid.”

“She is a wonderful student,” Gai beamed, clearly pleased. “Very talented. Gifted in fuuinjutsu.”

Yasu smiled, having already known this from the five other times Gai had told her. “So I’ve heard… We talked a bit about our training. And you.”

“Exchanging tips?” he suggested excitedly, “My Darling Kunoichi are Very Clever!”

“We ended up talking for a while. She was worried, you know.” Yasu made a point to focus her eyes on her food. She maintained a relaxed posture to not give anything away. She was glad he didn’t seem upset about her and Tenten spending time together.

“Worried?”

“Yeah. About you… and Lee-san.”

That’s what did it. The air shifted, and their peaceful meal ended. Through her delicate social wiles, Yasu had turned an amicable picnic into an awkward confrontation. 

Yasu had known there was a reason Gai hadn’t told her about Lee before. It was probably the same reason he had never taken the time to introduce her to his team. Part of her knew his reasoning was none of her business, but another part wanted to know why.

“...How much did she tell you?” he asked quietly. Too quietly. 

“Most of it,” Yasu fiddled with her bento, shifting the food around with her chopsticks but not taking a bite, “Maybe all of it.”

The silence between them was heavier here in the deadland field. Yasu took the opportunity to look out over the landscape once more, that same gut-clenching feeling filling her as she assessed the irreversible damage. 

“I used to bring Lee out here a lot…” the hair fell back from behind his ear. He mimicked her gaze, staring out into the rocky mess he created, “We would leave the village before dawn. Sometimes we’d be out here all day.”

It was the wistful way he spoke that didn’t sit right with her. She put down her bento, turning to face him completely. She readied herself to do something she never thought she would do with Gai. 

She made herself vulnerable.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I… I didn’t want to bother you with my problems.”

Yasu found that answer to be incredibly silly. He didn’t mind knocking her sideways and ambush attacking her during work hours, but talking about his problems was too bothersome?

She shook her head, “Gai-sensei… I’ve only known you a few weeks now, but we’re friends, aren’t we?”

His whole face lit up at the notion. It was like she had just told him he was the new Hokage. That ridiculous grin was back, “Yosh! Of course, Yasu-chan!”

“Then we can talk about this stuff, if you want to. It’s a pretty serious situation, isn’t it? If we’re spending this much time together, you should share this stuff with me. It’s upsetting to think you’ve been dealing with it on your own.”

Maybe she just had an empathetic nature. That probably had something to do with why she didn’t care for being a ninja. But she had a whole family who would listen to her whine and complain about any little thing, because she would listen to them whine and complain too. And while she knew Gai had friends in the village, they were mostly all shinobi. Considering the post-invasion chaos and war looming on the horizon, it was likely issues like this were being left behind. From what she had gathered, Gai didn’t have a family… besides his students. And that was her now, wasn’t it? 

“Tenten-chan mentioned a surgery… that Tsunade-sama could help him.”

“He’s considering it,” Gai said, informative and a little detached. “But the odds of success aren’t good.”

“How bad?”

He was quiet again, this time the silence stretched a few minutes. When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse, “Fifty-percent chance of recovery, fifty-percent chance of fatality.”

 _‘Gods above…’_ Yasu’s breath caught in her throat. “I wasn’t aware it was so serious…”

“His injuries are technically healed, but there’s still fragments of bone in his spine--”

Yasu flinched.

“It’s causing him pain and physical limitations. If he doesn’t get the surgery, he’ll never be a ninja again.”

She leant back against the stone, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin there. “But he doesn’t think a non-shinobi life is worth living?”

Gai shook his head, “He doesn’t want to die, either.”

She offered him a half-smile, “He sounds like a great student.”

“The best.”

She picked up the container off the ground, offering Gai the last riceball. He took it with a small nod of thanks.

“That’s a heavy situation,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

“Not the best,” he admitted, giving her a bare, watery smile. “... I don’t know what I’d do if I lost him, Yasu-chan.”

There was something in the way he said it that made her heart shatter. Tears began to prick at the corner of her eyes as well. 

“He hasn’t decided what wants to do yet, has he?”

Gai looked up when he heard the crack in her voice, concern painting over his distress. Her eyes were bloodshot, brimming with tears that she would not let fall. She met his gaze and returned it with all the strength and compassion and warmth she could muster.

And for a moment, they were just two open hearts in the middle of a wasteland.

“You should tell him,” she spoke with as much clarity as she could muster, though her voice was much raspier than she would have liked. “Tell him how you feel. It’ll help him decide.”

Gai looked unsure, picking at his bento, “I can’t pressure him--”

“He’s making the hardest decision of his life right now, Gai-sensei. He’ll need all the help he can get.”

It was really all she had to say on the matter.

Gai remained contemplative, eyes cast downwards. 

It was the most quiet she had ever seen him.

Yasu pulled herself up on her knees, leaning forward to start packing up their bentos, “C’mon. We can keep talking while we train. It’s a lot easier when we can punch each other, trust me.”

She offered him a hand, he gave her a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was another chapter I had some difficulties writing. Next one is a little more light-hearted.  
> Thank you for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

Spear & Shield  
Chapter 17

“So she had been following me for--” another kick dodged, “Over an hour!”

“We’ll have to work on her stealth!” he threw a punch.

“Exactly!” she caught it.

The two jumped away from one another, landing on opposite ends of their private wasteland.

Yasu was panting, half-covered in dirt, half-covered in sweat. Today’s training was technically more low-key than their usual brawls, it was requiring a lot of concentration on her part. Her new technique was far from battle-ready, but she was getting there.

“But I still don’t understand why she was following you in the first place,” Gai leapt off the ground, disappearing in the air and reappearing directly behind Yasu.

She spun quickly, catching the elbow he had swung at her, using her chakra to send him spinning away. 

“She wanted to know if I was worthy.”

“Worthy of being my student?!” Gai practically gasped in excitement as he regained his balance, pausing to strike an enthusiastic pose.

Yasu pulled a face at his ridiculous assumption. “No,” she growled, provoking him with a round-house kick. He countered with a sideways chop. She was able to catch the blow with her arm, using the force to reverberate into a strong swing.

Gai landed, stumbling slightly.

 _‘I’m getting good at this,’_ she thought with a smirk. “No, she was under the impression we were dating.”

Yasu shot forward for an offensive run, expecting Gai to dodge. But the heel of her kick landed solidly right on the side of Gai's head. His neck snapped to the side, but he remained standing, perfectly frozen. 

"Gai?" Yasu questioned, landing nearby. She remained tense, thinking this may be a new sort of tactic. 

But, for once, Gai was not thinking of training. 

The word "dating" was ringing through his head like a temple bell. His jaw went slack, eyes white and blank, staring off somewhere far, far in the distance.

“...Gai-sensei?” Yasu tried again, creeping forward, arms raised defensively.

His face was beet-red from the bottom of his neck to the tips of his ears, practically smoking from the uncomfortable temperature his body had reached.

“Gai…?” she jabbed a fist forward, tapping a light punch to his right pectoral.

Still no response.

Gai was no longer there, his soul having long since left his body. His brain raced, bemoaning thoughts of his precious little students conspiring against him. 

_‘How could they think that?’_ his mind screamed, _‘What sort of sensei would I be?! With little Yasu-chan…?!’_

“Oh, come on,” Yasu chuckled nervously, dropping her guard and taking a small step back. Gai looked like he was ready to implode. His muscles quivered from tension, yet he remained ghostly still. “Stop playing around, Gai-sensei… It was just a joke.” 

The longer he stayed still, the more uncomfortable she got. 

“T-tenten-chan was just doing what all girls her age do,” she tried to explain, brow furrowing with worry while her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Just some teen gossip, that’s all…”

_‘M-me and Y-y-yasu-chan?! Unthinkable! Not my darling little student--’_

But that was the thing, wasn’t it? Yasu wasn’t a genin assigned to him, in need of his guidance. She was a chunin, fully trained and capable without a jounin leader. He had taken her under his wing after seeing her potential--

He recalled what she had said just hours before, _“We’re friends, aren’t we?”_

His hands, creaking like aged wood, reached up and gripped his hair in terror. _‘Have I transgressed the sacred student-and-sensei relationship?! Have I tarnished my reputation as a teacher, a molder of young minds?!’_

Except Yasu wasn’t much younger than him. She was an adult, a fully-fledged shinobi, and a rather exceptional person. She had a moderately successful career. She was hard-working, smart, talented, and ~~_pretty cute, too._ ~~

_‘No, no, no, no, no!’_ he chanted inwardly, attempting to physically shake the thoughts out of his head. _'My precious student...!'_

Yasu knew a mental breakdown when she saw one. And considering the heavy topics they’d been discussing thus far, she was a little shocked that _this_ is what broke Gai.

She pursed her lips, wondering if she should feel a little insulted that he was this distressed at the notion of them in a relationship. Not that she blamed him, really. He was way out of her league. He was an incredibly accomplished shinobi, and one of the most powerful ninja in the village. He was kind, compassionate, and _so_ incredibly caring. He had seen a potential in her no one else ever had… Plus once you got past his goofy personality, ~~_he wasn’t bad looking, either._ ~~

So Yasu decided to get through to Gai the best way she knew how.

She punched him.

She channeled her chakra into her backfoot, swung back, and punched him right in the face.

It was probably a little harder than she intended it to be (she blamed her lack of control over her new technique, and certainly no other reason), but it was effective. Gai went flying, landing several meters away, crashing into the dirt.

“Are you okay?” she yelled.

“I’m okay!” he answered, giving her a thumbs-up.

Yasu couldn’t help but smile, dropping her stance and shaking her head, “Maybe we should call it a day?”

Gai got up, shaky, but unharmed. “Agreed!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter was really long, so this chapter is really short? Either way, I had A LOT of fun writing this one.  
> Plus, one of my favorite characters shows up next chapter.  
> Thank you all so much for reading!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Shenanigans ensue.

Spear & Shield  
Chapter 18

The walk back to the village was quiet and only _a_ _little_ awkward. This time, they walked side-by-side at a steady pace, each preoccupied with their own thoughts. 

About half-way back, Gai mentioned he felt two chakra signatures headed down a parallel path a little ways away, and suggested a little competition. Yasu grinned at the notion, happy to see Gai back to his usual self so quickly. 

“They’re going fast, but we’re going to beat them to the village. There’s a fork up ahead. So long as we out-run them there, we’ll win for sure!”

“I’m not as fast as you,” she frowned, “But I’ll try.”

That was more than good enough for Gai, “ _Yosh!_ ”

Within a matter of seconds, Yasu was left in the dust. Gai shot ahead, not seeming to notice Yasu falling behind. He concentrated on the path before him while keeping a keen eye on the signatures he had felt on the other path. To his surprise, they began to speed up as well. 

And they were _fast_. 

Gai frowned, channeling chakra to the soles of his feet, steadying his breathing and ducking lower to gain more speed. 

So did they.

The group was nearing the fork that merged the two paths they were on, leading up to the village gate. The trees between them were thinning, and as they shot forward, they got closer together.

It was at that moment Gai realized who the pair were, and suddenly their impressive speed made sense.

“Yosh!” he declared with a grin, skidding to a stop right were the paths merged, “What a coincidence! My One and Only Eternal Rival, Hatake Kakashi!”

Kakashi and his companion stopped as well, sharing a look before turning to their comrade.

“Yo… long time no see, Gai,” Kakashi greeted in his usual casual drawl. 

“Ah, and Yamato-taicho!” Gai grinned at the other, “Are you returning from a perilous mission?” They were both wearing packs with a fine layer of dust and dirt gathering along the hems of their clothes.

“Eh,” Kakashi sighed, “I wouldn't say 'perilous.' It went well, I suppose.”

“If you're heading to the Village, we can travel together--” it was at that moment Gai realized he was missing his own companion. “Eh…?” he glanced back down the trail he had come from, noticing a speck in the distance. 

“Everything alright, Gai?”

“Of course!” he grinned, “I just appear to be missing my student…”

“Your student?” Yamato echoed, “Were you out on a mission as well?”

“No,” Gai grinned, “We spent the day training outside of the Village.”

Kakashi glanced towards the direction Gai had come from, knowing the area fairly well. He recalled Gai sneaking off to his “secret” training area during their youth, but pretty much everyone in their group knew where it was. They were all just too afraid to go there…

“Ah,” Kakashi caught sight of Gai’s misplaced student, “It’s Ushi-san.”

The poor girl jogged the last leg of her journey, slowing as she approached the group. She was breathing heavily as she came up from behind Gai.

“Yasu-chan!” Gai beamed, turning towards her, “Good news, we were victorious--”

A harsh chill suddenly filled the air. Something almost like killing intent, but not quite, smothered the atmosphere between them, causing Gai to immediately snap his jaw shut and forget whatever he was about to say. Kakashi felt it too, his whole body tensing as he palmed a kunai at his side. Battle instinct kicked in. It was malice and stewing rage, so thick they could practically taste it. It was hearing the war drums before catching sight of a solider. It was a prelude to war.

The two sensei surveyed the area with sharp eyes, ready to jump out at whatever threat had snuck up on them…

Only to realize that the aura of menace was right between them.

The expression Yasu wore made Gai flinch. He had never seen her even _close_ to that malicious, not even in the midst of their most heated spars. Her eyes were full of what he could only call rage, mouth pulled back into a closed snarl. Even with her messy hair and being covered in sweat, she was something wrathful.

Kakashi was used to Yamato’s “scary face.” Perhaps more used to it than most... But it still sent chills down his spine whenever he saw it. This time, however, he sensed a genuine animosity there. Strange...

Slowly, he slid his good eye over to Gai, who stiffly turned to meet his questioning gaze and share a nervous shrug. There was an equal amount of unease in their eyes.

“Yamato-taicho,” Yasu was the first to speak, her voice low as she practically spat her words into the dirt. 

“Ushi-san,” Yamato returned, voice coated in ice.

Lightning crackled between them.

“Ah, so you two... know each other?” Kakashi asked with the friendliest tone he could muster. 

“Yes,” they answered in tandem, each speaking through clenched teeth. 

Gai and Kakashi waited for further explanation but received none.

The lightning crackled again.

Gai, ever the supportive sensei, inched towards his student. “Y-yasu-chan…? Is everything alright?” he asked in his best attempt at a whisper.

“Just fine,” she answered, turning her fiery glare to Gai. “We won the race?”

Gai could only nod, eyes wide as sweat began to pour down his neck.

She snapped back to Yamato, “Good.”

“I was not aware we were racing,” Yamato responded, his dark and dead-eyed stare never leaving Yasu. “We were suspicious of someone approaching the village at such high speeds and decided to investigate.”

“Does it count if only Gai beat us…?” Kakashi dared to ask, mentally debating whether he wanted to get involved with whatever was going on between Yasu and Yamato. 

Gai barked a laugh at Kakashi’s implication, “You’re just jealous I was faster!” he declared.

“I didn’t even know it was a race. I would have beaten you, otherwise.”

Suddenly, the two jounin conveniently forgot the odd behavior of their respective companions. 

“A challenge?!” Gai grinned, “Let’s make it interesting, shall we?”

Kakashi tilted his head back to regard Gai with a serious expression, “Oh?”

Gai pointed a finger at Kakashi, leaping into his normal, youthful enthusiasm, “I, Maito Gai, will beat you, Hatake Kakashi, to the village gate--”

“Alright--”

Then that finger pointed to Yasu, “While carrying Ushi Yasu on my back!”

Finally, Yasu snapped out of her anger. “Wh-what?!” she gasped, going from murderous to blushing in the blink of an eye.

“Hmm…” Kakashi tapped his chin, “Then I guess I’ll carry Yamato.”

Yamato’s cold expression turned to one of confusion, “But taicho--?”

“Yosh!” Quick as a blink, Gai grabbed each of Yasu’s wrists, yanking her arms over his shoulders so she dangled oddly over his day-pack.

“G-Gai-sensei!” she stuttered, face flush with devastating embarrassment. The last thing she wanted was to be man-handled in front of Yamato.

But it was too late, Gai was already running.

Yasu wasn’t used to moving at such break-neck speeds. Reflexively, her arms clamped around his shoulders, knees digging into his sides as she held on for dear life. 

“No worries, Yasu-chan!” Gai grinned over his shoulder, “Kakashi’s fast, but I refuse to lose!”

For a moment, Yasu thought to bring up the fact that it was obvious Kakashi had just returned from a multi-day mission, and was probably in some level of a weakened state. She also wanted to mention Yamato was considerably larger than she was, therefore probably heavier. Then there was the fact that no one had said “go” before Gai started running.

But she didn’t. Because, for once, she genuinely wanted Gai to beat Kakashi. She wanted to win.

“They’re gaining on us!” she warned, seeing the other odd-couple appear a few steps behind.

At a later time, Yasu will reflect on this moment as one of the most hilarious sights she’s ever seen. Two high-ranking Konoha ninja, one perched on top of the other, rampaging towards them like they were on a warpath. The deadliest piggy-back ride she had ever witnessed.

Yasu had to think quickly. She reached up, snagging a low-hanging branch from overhead, cleaving the leaves off in one swift motion. She snapped into several sharp splinters, and shot them off over her shoulder.

“That’s cheating,” Yamato commented, deflecting her makeshift projectiles with one hand. 

"That's rich coming from you," she snarled.

There was something great and terrible in Yasu and Gai was _terrified._ He’s seen her angry, frustrated, and exasperated. He’s seen her protective and determined, and even defensive. But now, she was just plain scary. Good thing fear was a great motivator.

"Incoming!" Yasu gasped, throwing her weight to the right. 

Gai leant with her, barely dodging a good-sized log that had crashed down directly in their path. 

" _That's_ cheating!" Yasu hollered. 

"Please excuse my kohai," Kakashi attempted to smooth over the kunoichi, coming up beside Gai with a friendly smile. "Let's agree; no more aerial attacks."

Gai nodded, but Yasu only pulled a face at the two as they passed.

She bit her tongue until Kakashi and Yamato were a few paces ahead. "Gai-sensei," she leaned forward to plead in his ear, "We can't let them win!" 

“Your Youthful, Competitive Spirit is Invigorating, Yasu-chan!” Gai beamed over his shoulder, only able to speed up slightly.

Yasu pressed her palms into his shoulders and raised herself up, honing in on the other pair with deadly focus, “I have an idea. Do you think you can get just ahead of them?”

Gai’s energy was waning after a day of training and travel, but he nodded nonetheless. “I have enough chakra left for another burst,” his serious tone matched hers.

“Alright…” she ducked back down and braced herself against his back, “See if you can get directly in their path.”

Gai complied, surging the last of his excess chakra to his feet and leg muscles. His stride lengthened substantially, propelling the two into the lead.

Yasu shifted left this time, drifting Gai straight into Kakashi’s path. The southern Village gate came into view, growing closer by the second.

“Ready?” she whispered, leaning back so that her upper body partially faced their opponents.

Gai wasn’t totally sure, but this was Yasu, so he said, “Of course!”

“Alright... Now..." she steadied herself, " _Stop!_ "

Reacting solely on her command, Gai dug his heels into the path, leaving parallel schisms along the road behind him. His legs locked straight, Yasu’s weight pulling his upper-half back until he was sliding at a gravity-defying angle.

Kakashi was unable to react properly, unable to account for both his and Yamato’s inertia. His eye grew wide as he realized with horror he was about to collide right into Yasu.

Yasu smirked, one free arm already raised and ready.

It took only the slightest touch, but just as Kakashi’s body bumped her arm, she charged her chakra to redirect the force right back at them. Like repelling magnets, Kakashi and Gai were knocked in opposite directions.

She and Gai shot through the air like a cannonball. They catapulted through the gate, rendering the ninja on guard duty utterly speechless as they watched Yasu and Gai fly by, bodies spinning and tumbling, limbs flailing in a spectacular show of absurdity. To them, the world passed in slow-motion, rotating wildly, leaving them dizzy and disoriented.

Both student and sensei came to an ungraceful landing, skidding into the middle of the road that led into the village. 

Amazed that her plan had actually _worked, Yasu's_ head shot up in search of Gai.

He landed face-up, blinking at the sky as he re-gained his senses. His heart was thumping at a thunderous rhythm and his lungs were blown empty.

“Are you okay?!” called one of the gate-nin in a panic.

Yasu and Gai only grinned, “We’re okay!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, I feel it's fair for me to tell you all that this story was more inspired by Rock Lee and His Ninja Pals (the vastly superior spin-off) than it was by the original Naruto series.  
> Also, fun fact: my auto-correct changes "Yamato" to "Temari" for some reason. It made editing this chapter very confusing.  
> Thank you all for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

Spear and Shield    
Chapter 19

“So. You and Gai make a pretty good team.”

Now, Yasu rationalized that it shouldn’t have been a surprise to run into Kakashi on the way back to her apartment. They had arrived at the Village at the same time, and lived directly next to one another. It made sense that they would run into one another on the way home. 

Except it didn’t.

Because Yasu and Kakashi _never_ "ran into each other." If Yasu saw him outside the apartment complex, it was merely because they happened to be working in the same vicinity. They may pass a quick and polite “hello” to one another, but no more than that. 

It was never a casual stroll, and certainly never a “casual” conversation. 

And even if fate had turned, and this was merely an honest coincidence-- the timing was completely off! Right now, Kakashi was supposed to be giving a briefing on his mission. He was supposed to be filling out reports and making sure whatever intel there was to pass along got to the proper channels. He was not supposed to be taking a leisurely, afternoon stroll. 

On top of that, Kakashi never just “ran into” anyone. He was a high-caliber shinobi. If you saw him, it was because he _wanted_ you to see him. 

And yet, here he was. 

And, for whatever reason, asking a fellow shinobi about her training. Suspicious.

This was unknown territory. Yasu should tread carefully. 

Still, Yasu kept her relaxed posture and shrugged, “We’ve been training together a lot, I guess.”

Kakashi walked beside her, an appropriate distance between them, his face practically shoved into the pages of the paperback in his hand. 

“I suppose you two have gotten close,” he continued after a minute of silence.

Yasu’s stomach began to twist uncomfortably, “Lots of ninja have training partners.”

He snorted, “Not a lot of ninja would have _Gai_ as a training partner.”

“Yeah, that’s fair,” she sighed. “He can be pretty intense sometimes--” Kakashi snorted again, “--But it’s working, so it’s worth it.”

Another minute of silence passed. Their building came into view.

“That move you used was interesting,” he said as if he was merely commenting on the weather. “That thing where you rubberized your chakra.”

She gave him a noncommittal hum. 

“Did Gai teach you that?”

Yasu mulled over a response, clasping her hands behind her back and stretching her gait to sway as she walked. _'Casual,'_ she reminded herself, _'Stay casual. Give nothing away.'_

“Not really. He’s just helping me perfect it.”

Kakashi was unfazed by her vague answer. 

More silence, more casual walking. 

Yasu tensed more with every step. 

He remained quiet, turning a page. They kept walking, now arriving at the side stairwell that led to their floor. The narrow stairway would not allow them to walk side-by-side, so Kakashi stepped aside and gestured for her to walk first. Yasu hesitated. Kakashi’s posture was slouched, and he had yet to even glance away from the book in his hands. Nothing about his demeanor seemed threatening at a glance, yet apprehension still gripped at her. 

Against better instincts, Yasu began climbing the stairs. 

Kakashi followed behind her, and their leisurely walk resumed. 

“Why are you asking?” she finally blurted out over her shoulder, unable to bare the silence any longer.

They paused on a landing. She turned back to look at him, her eyes scanning him out of curiosity more than suspicion. 

But Kakashi gave nothing away, smiling at her in the same friendly way he always had, “I just like to check-in with my neighbors, Ushi-san.”

“Okay,” she narrowed her eyes at him before turning on heel and continuing towards her apartment. “So how are your dogs?”

“They’re well, thank you for asking,” he sounded genuinely pleased that she asked. “How is your cat?”

“She’s fine. Fat as ever."

More silence, this time awkward and uncomfortable.

“Have you tried that new take-out place down the street?”

“No, but their menu looks interesting.”

“Yeah, and they deliver, too.”

“Oh, yeah?”

"Yeah."

“That's nice. So why do you hate Yamato?”

Ah.

So _that’s_ what this is about.

 _'Yare-yare…'_ Her father's voice rang through her head.

She turned on him, hands on her hips and an expression of pure disappointment on her face. At his angle, she looked down upon Kakashi, just barely able to peek over the pages of his book. Normally, she stood eye-level with his shoulder, but this increase in height did nothing to make her feel superior in any way. Neighbor or not, there was still a large part of her that was deathly afraid of Sharingan no Kakashi.

“I never thought you were the type to get involved in other people’s personal lives,” she dared to say.

“Only when it comes to the well-being of my friends,” he countered, voice suddenly much lower than before.

She scoffed, “I doubt I’m capable of affecting Yamato-taicho’s well-being.”

“He seems to be capable of affecting yours.”

She bristled, "No he doesn't!" she quickly protested. "He's a lousy hack and it pisses me off! That's all!" Her mouth snapped shut all too late.

She had revealed too much. 

In an attempt to turn the tables, she pointed a finger at him and scolded, “It’s none of your business.”

Slowly, she watched as the cloth of Kakashi’s mask curled into a mischievous smile. The agitation she had felt earlier faded into the air around them. 

“Ne, Ushi-san…” he practically sang, “Are you _jealous_ of my kohai?”

A furious blush lit up Yasu’s face, “N-no!” She spun on her heel, marching in a beeline to her front door. “It’s just-- He just--! He’s got it so easy!” 

Kakashi remained behind her, the book lowered to chest-level while his eyes shifted up to watch the emotions flashing across Yasu’s face. Frustration, anger, defeat… Now his interest has peaked. 

“Do you know how many hours I spent fixing fences and paving paths? Building benches and repairing gates-- I spent _years_ picking up every D-rank I possibly could just to get an excuse to use the same tools I’ve been using since I was a child!”

There was no reason for Yasu to be confessing to Kakashi. Perhaps it was because seeing Yamato had stirred these feelings she had long since bottled up. Still, once she had started letting it out, it didn’t stop.

“I’ve been working for years to have my designs commissioned! I have _hundreds_ of blueprints that the Village will never get to see because every time there’s a need for them, Yamato gets the job. We’re supposed to act like Mukuton is some closely-guarded secret, but we take advantage of it all the time! Meanwhile, people like me are sidelined to maintenance work, taking care of our home without ever being able to contribute to it.”

Her hands shook by her side as she reigned back her feelings. Shame began to sink in, replacing her anger and frustration. She had broken a shinobi rule and let her emotions get the better of her. 

“You’re very passionate about your craft, Ushi-san.” Kakashi’s voice was softer now, more understanding. It finally clicked for him. He could see why Gai was so drawn to her. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”

Yasu inhaled slowly through her nose, turning to slouch against her door, “He’s a talented shinobi, I’ll give him that. And I don’t actually hate him, if that’s what you think.”

Kakashi followed her slowly, his book held by his side, “You don’t hate him?” Her animosity said otherwise, but he was beginning to understand the source of her frustration. 

She frowned at the ground, but nodded affirmatively. He took a step past her to lean against his own door, letting the air between them settle.

She lifted her head to look him in the eye, face blank but that ferocity he had witnessed before was still there. “Him and I? We’re rivals.”

“...Oh?”

“And some day I’ll prove to the whole village I’m better than him.”

There was fire in her words. 

The type of fire that warmed Kakashi’s heart. 

His eye turned upwards in a genuinely cheerful smile, “Well, then.” He picked his book back up and began to trek back down the stairs, “That’s good to know, Ushi-san. Thank you for your time!”

Yasu’s brow quirked in confusion as her eyes glanced between Kakashi’s retreating form and his front door. Did he really follow her just to…?

She sighed, unlocking her door and disabling the few meager traps she bothered to place. She was beginning to wonder if would ever understand these people... 

It was starting to look like Gai was the only normal one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Gai this time, sorry!  
> I apologize for the delay with this chapter. Life's been a little crazy, lately.  
> Thank you all for reading!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm going to take a minute.  
> I've literally been in tears of joy all day. The amazing jes3, author of one of my new favs  Polaroid, took the time to binge-read my story and left comments on every chapter. Everyone please check out Polaroid, it is wonderfully adorable, and jes3 is just lovely and amazing.  
> I also have to give a huge thanks to XxSakuraBlossomsxX and madicshop. You guys have no idea how happy I get when I recieve a notification from you guys. I honestly cannot express how much this little "just for fun" fic has become a huge source of joy for me.  
> Thank you all so much!

Spear & Shield  
Chapter 20

Three ninja sat at a corner booth in a small tea house, just on the edge of Konoha’s market district. It was obvious they were family, one could tell just by looking at them. They all had the same sharp, warm-brown eyes set into sun-tanned faces. Matching heads of soft brown hair, and nearly identical noses. They jibed at one another but always ended up laughing in a way that was comforting and familiar. 

And while they were rather loud patrons of this fine establishment, not many seemed to be bothered. 

It was a mild afternoon in the middle of the week, and thankfully the few other sparse patrons did not seem to mind the antics of the Ushi family. The food was good enough, the prices were reasonable, and some even found them rather entertaining. To them, was all part of the familial atmosphere.

To the Ushi siblings, it was a place to extort free food.

“So how's working with Dad, Goro?” Yasu asked, taking a sip of tea.

The ten year-old popped another sesame dumpling in his mouth, “Good, I guess.”

“Mom says you're the best assistant he's ever had.”

"I guess."

Yasu rolled her eyes, shoving another plate of dumplings at the kid before turning her attention to the teen next to him. “And how about you, Shiro?”

“‘How about me’ what?” he scoffed, resting his head in his hand and looking as bored as ever. 

Yasu’s mouth twisted in displeasure. She leaned back in the booth and crossed her arms, doing a rather decent impression of their mother. 

“You know, I’m treating you both to lunch. The least you could do is show a little enthusiasm.”

“You’re not treating them!” the man behind the counter jeered, “You bums eat free!”

“Shut up, Ichiro,” Shiro shot back. “You had me washing dishes all weekend, I deserve a free lunch.”

“And I did it last week,” Goro added, another dumpling disappearing down his gullet. 

“And you asked me to serve orders the week before,” Yasu added with a smirk. 

Ichiro regarded his younger siblings with a fond disdain that could only be possessed by the first-born, “Well maybe if you paid for what you ate, I could afford to hire a proper staff.”

“Megumi-chan!” Shiro leaned out of the booth and called into the kitchen, “Ichiro’s bothering us!”

A small, mousey woman popped her head out from beneath the divider curtain. Her eyes were wide with a fierce glare, “Leave the customers alone!” 

Ichiro threw his hands in the air, marching back into the kitchen while shouting, “They’re _not_ customers!”

Yasu grinned at his retreating figure, face alight with a mischievous joy as she swiped a dumpling from Goro.

“Why didn’t you invite Saburo?” the youngest quipped after a moment.

“He had a mission,” she sighed, “Besides that worthless lay-about is always breaking into my apartment and stealing my food. I’m not gonna give him a free meal.”

“You've _got to be_ kidding me!” Ichiro groaned from behind the curtain.

“He came by to talk to Dad the other night,” Shiro continued, blatantly ignoring the grumbles and curses of the eldest brother. “He told us something _very_ interesting.” 

His sing-song tone made Yasu frown. “...Oh yeah?” 

“He says you got a boyfriend,” Goro grinned, fox-like.

Her stomach dropped to the floor. _‘That son of a--!’_

Oh. _Oh._ So _this_ is why Gai froze up when she brought up Tenten’s assumptions. People in her life who she loved and respected speculating about a relationship they know nothing about... No, this was not a very nice feeling at all.

It was one thing having strange genin speculate about her and Gai’s relationship… But it was an entirely different thing when it was her family.

“Did he say this in front of Dad?” she asked too quickly, “In front of Mom?!”

The two younger boys shared a devious grin. “Oh, he might have mentioned something to one of them…” Shiro began.

“Yeah, he told Dad,” Goro finished without respite.

“Does. Mom. Know.” she growled out, practically quaking with a mixture of anger and fear. _‘Saburo, what have you done?!’_

“Wait--” Shiro interrupted, tone changing to one of disbelief, “You seriously, _actually have_ a boyfriend?” He was about as grossed out as a sixteen year-old should be at the thought of his older sister’s love life. Yet he couldn’t shake the curiosity, “What kind of lunatic would like _you_?”

“Hey now,” Ichiro chided, reappearing behind the counter with a serving tray full of food, “That’s not very nice. We should be happy that Yasu’s happy, that’s all.”

“I’m not happy!” she retorted, face flushed red, “I mean-- Saburo’s lying! It’s a misunderstanding, that’s all!” Her fist whacked against the table as she bore down on the younger two, “Now tell me! _Does Mom know?_ ”

“No,” Goro whined, hands over his ears to block out all the yelling, “Mom doesn’t know about your stupid boyfriend, calm down.”

Relief flooded Yasu’s body, “Thank the spirits…” she sighed.

Ichiro leaned over the counter closest to their booth, casually resting his chin on his arms, “Ne, are you worried she’ll try and marry you off, Yasu-chan?”

“It’s a stupid misunderstanding,” Yasu sighed again, boldly stabbing the last dumpling with her chopsticks, much to Goro’s dismay, “We’re not dating. We train together-- we’re just friends, that’s all.”

Truthfully, it was a bit of a reprieve that Saburo had been the one to bring up Gai to her parents. While she would have preferred to keep her family and Gai distinctly separate ( _'At least for the time being,’_ her subconscious added), Saburo had roped himself in as a confidant and was just as liable for keeping secrets. If she was going down, she was sure going to take him down, too.

Her brow furrowed, wondering exactly what he had said to her father, and what her father’s reaction was. 

“We’re just friends…” she mumbled, barely realizing she had spoken aloud.

Goro clearly did not care for this topic whatsoever, and left the booth to go find Megumi (and presumably more dumplings).

Shiro looked uncomfortable, yet curious. Ninjas do love their secrets, and here she was, dangling one right in front of him. 

“What’s his name?” Ichiro asked with a hint of mirth, openly prying, “He’s a ninja, isn’t he? Do you think I know him?”

Shiro rolled his eyes, “You’ve been retired longer than you were on active duty.”

“I still know people," Ichiro shot back, indignant.

“We train together,” Yasu’s exasperation was catching up to her, “He’s helping me improve my techniques. That. Is. _All._ ”

Ichiro shrugged, distracted by another customer as they walked in. 

Shiro, however, was not quite convinced. Still, he was smart enough to know when to just drop it. Perhaps he could gather some intel on Yasu's mysterious new companion...

Yasu recognized that look in her little brother's eye, "Drop it, Shiro."

"I just wanna know--"

Thankfully, Goro chose that moment to come ambling out of the kitchen. "Can we get desert?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all, again.  
> Sorry for another no-Gai chapter!


	21. Chapter 21

Spear & Shield   
Chapter 21

It’s been two weeks since Yasu had last seen Gai.

Two, very quiet, and very uneventful weeks.

It made Yasu feel… ambivalent.

At first, she rather enjoyed the quiet. She didn’t know how long their hiatus would last, so she used every free moment she had to simply relax. She had even taken a whole day off from work and training to just stay home and clean her apartment (Bao-chan was very pleased).

But relaxing quickly grew tiresome.

She found herself grumpier than usual, finding it significantly more difficult to sleep without exerting the amount of physical energy her body had become accustomed to. So she poured this excess of energy into her normal work, taking on every odd job she could get her hands on. She even reached out to her father, asking if he had any jobs he needed assistance with (he did not). Lastly, she resorted to digging up every in-progress project she had and was systematically finishing them. As anyone could see, she was desperate.

She wondered what Gai had been up to during this time.

She didn't want to admit how much she missed him, not even to herself. They hadn't known one another for very long, so it was silly to think she had grown so used to his presence. 

But she had been ruminating on their training sessions, thinking about her technique and how to develop it…

What was the point if he wasn't there to help her?

So here she sat upon the Hokage monument, right at the crest of Sandaime’s crown, another half-finished floor plan spread out before her. 

She rested her chin in her hand, her pencil running along the same lines over and over until she had nearly cut cleanly through the paper. 

A flutter of movement caught her eye. She looked up with a curious expression, seeing a hawk taking flight from the aviary window at the top of Hokage tower. In a fleeting moment of hope, she wished it would come and fly to her.

...And then it did?

Her eyes widened to twice their size as she watched the hawk swoop down, soaring straight towards her head. She yelped, ducking sideways as it flicked its wings, landing on the edge of stone she used as a drafting table, perching there and looking at her expectantly.

She couldn’t recall the last time she received a messenger hawk. 

The bird tilted it head to the side, staring her dead in the eye. 

Still not totally convinced this wasn’t a mistake, she hesitantly took the scroll attached to its leg.

_Summons to the Hokage. Report immediately._

Yasu balked at the message, glancing at the hawk as if it had an explanation. 

It clicked its beak at her.

With a frown, she gathered her supplies, sealing them away in a scroll that she shoved into her hip pack. 

The climb to the Hokage’s office was a long one, even at the brisk pace she set. Her mind speculated with every step. Was she in trouble? She hadn’t done anything warranting discipline… Unless they found out about the hole she made in the border wall. 

...No, she patched that perfectly. 

Was it a new commission, then? The thought made her heart race. Perhaps the redesign she had submitted for the archive building had finally been approved. Or maybe they needed an extension on the Academy… Or a new Hospital wing! 

_Or_ perhaps they had seen her suggestion of installing an elevator in the Tower. 

She showed the jounin guarding the door her scroll, he nodded and allowed her to pass.

Yasu has only been inside the Hokage’s office a handful of times. As a Village contractor and general maintenance worker, she mostly gives her reports to high-level subordinates, and occasionally even the Elder Council. Only new construction reports went straight to the Hokage. And seeing as no new structures had been approved yet, let alone built, she doubted that was the purpose of her summons. 

Her surprise only doubled when she noticed that she was not alone in audience with the Hokage.

“Hokage-sama,” she greeted with a bow, letting her curiosity bleed into her expression. “And, uhm… Hi, Dad.”

There he was, Ushi Yasuchika, in all his glory. The stocky man sat in a chair across from the Hokage’s desk, a steaming cup of tea in his hands. He sat tall, broad shoulders perfectly square, clearly displaying the family crest on the back of his haori jacket. She couldn’t help but quirk a smile at it.

“Ah, welcome Yasu-san,” Tsunade smiled, gesturing to the empty chair next to Yasuchika. “I hadn’t expected you to arrive so quickly.”

“I was close by,” she admitted sheepishly as her gaze slid to the window behind Tsunade, in clear view of Mount Hokage. 

Her father smiled at her in a knowing way, eyes crinkled shut as his mustache twitched with stifled laughter. 

A cup of tea was offered to her. She took it gratefully.

“I apologize for calling on you so urgently,” Tsunade said with a sigh, “However, I’m booked up for the rest of the week… When I originally scheduled this meeting with your father, I thought he would be the only one.”

Yasuchika cleared his throat, “I’m sorry for the last-minute change, Hokage-sama.”

Yasu glanced between them, amused that neither knew that they had saved her from a day of complete and utter boredom. 

“It’s alright. If you don’t mind, may I ask what this is about?” She asked merely out of politeness, feigning ignorance with an expression of innocent curiosity. 

Because there was only one reason her father would be meeting with the Hokage. 

“The Village is in need of your father’s skills… Another face has been commissioned to be added to Mount Hokage,” she winced in embarrassment. “...It’s tradition, after all.”

A giddy grin slowly spread itself across Yasu’s face. Her eyes lit up, meeting her father’s prideful smile, nearly bursting out of her chair with delight.

“It’s time…?” she asked, dizzy with excitement.

Her father set down his teacup with a chuckle, slapping his palms on his knees and bowing his shoulders, “It is a great honor, Hokage-sama!” 

“Dad!” Yasu practically squealed with joy, her heart racing. 

Tsunade leant back in her chair, a fond look on her face as she observed the exuberant pair before her. Sure, the resemblance was obvious _now,_ but she had initially been surprised when she met Yasuchika’s only daughter. Tsunade had never met the Stone Carver’s wife, but Yasu must take after her… Yasuchika was an ox of a man, with a broad face, and an odd-number of fingers. Yasu seemed to be… Well, a perfectly normal kunoichi.

Yet in that moment, with their beaming grins and eyes aglow with esteem and pride, she could see just how alike they really are.

“Your father requested your assistance with the project, Yasu-san. Are you up for it?”

“Yes! Yes, of course!” she blurted, a little louder than appropriate. Her father shot her a subtle look. She cleared her throat, “Erm, I mean, I would be honored, Hokage-sama.”

So the negotiations began.

Yasu was able to talk her father out of the plaster cast and mold, recommending a series of photos from different angles instead. Tsunade eagerly agreed. 

She would create a base design by carving out a scale model of the monument with Tsuande’s face added. Her father would take care of the finer details.

Yasu and her father buzzed around the poor woman with a shared excitement, bouncing rapid-fire ideas to one another while meticulously measuring Tsunade’s features. 

"Should she be smiling?" 

"Of course not! A classic warrior expression is customary."

“Relax your brow, Hokage-sama, or the measurements will be off.”

“Oh, her hair’s out of place on the left side.”

“Are you getting all this, Yasu-chan? These numbers are important!”

The older woman groaned, letting Yasuchika poke and prod and measure. Yasu, who she had previously viewed as a rational and level-headed ninja, was making a rough sketch of her face, marking each feature with numbers and markers she didn’t understand.

“Is all this really necessary?” she whispered to Yasu out of the corner of her mouth. 

Yasu nodded, a dead-set look of determination on her face, “Mount Hokage has been sculpted with a perfect one-to-ten ratio. The measurements _must_ be concise.”

 _‘The Will of Fire manifests in mysterious ways…’_ Tsunade thought to herself with a sigh.

"Alright, alright," the Hokage sighed, forcibly pushing the two out of her personal space. "We'll send out the photographs and have the Council approve the model design. Sound good?"

In tandem, father and daughter bowed deeply, "Yes, Hokage-sama!"

A vein in Tsunade's forehead pulsed. "You are dismissed," she grumbled, massaging her temple.

Yasu may as well have skipped out of the Hokage's office. Even her ever-stoic father had a little more bounce in his step than usual.

"It's exciting, isn't it, Yasu-chan?" her father practically giggled. "We get to carve the most beautiful face Konoha has ever seen!" His sharp black eyes crinkled with a wide grin, as his four-fingered left hand curled into a fist.

Yasu smiled down at him, "I won't tell Mom you said that."

He paused. "Best not," he agreed.

The two continued down the spiraling stairs in high spirits, chittering away at ideas, discussing the next step. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask Goro to help you, Dad,” she admitted, glancing down on the scrap of paper she had written every necessary measurement.

“Bah,” her father scoffed, “This is too important a job for that little imp. I needed someone skilled.” A large hand clapped her shoulder, harder than most people would be able to tolerate without stumbling, but Yasu was fine, “Someone as skilled as me!”

Her heart swelled with intense fervor. The sentiment behind her father’s words were almost too much for her to bear, her throat suddenly heavy with the feeling.

Yasu beamed as she bid her father goodbye, a tremor of excitement reverberating in her stomach. 

She turned to race home and get to work, shouting her success to the rooftops the whole way there, but stopped short… 

Because there was really only one person she wanted to tell. One person she really _wanted_ to share this joy with...

But she hadn’t seen him in two weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So something I wanted to explore with this fic is having a character that is essentially... well adjusted? Everyone in Naruto is an orphan with a tragic past, and I just wanted 1 (one) character that came from a loving and supportive family. Hence the Ushi clan.  
> Thank you so much for reading!


	22. Chapter 22

Spear & Shield    
Chapter 22

It was going on twenty days since Gai and Yasu had last trained together, and it was getting embarrassing at this point. Between her usual D-ranks, she would run laps around the village (okay maybe it was only _one_ lap, but still) or break away somewhere quiet to run through katas. She would meet with her father and discuss the plans for the Monument, then hide away in some little training area for the rest of the day, honing a strength she wasn't aware she had. She started revisiting her taijutsu notes from the Academy, and checking out books on chakra control from the library. 

She thought of so many things during her solo training, but mostly, she thought about Gai. She wanted to tell him all about the plans for the Monument. She wanted to ask him about Rock Lee and how his surgery went. Had they broken the tie between him and Kakashi? Thoughts of hypothetical conversations and scenarios ran through her head, slowly becoming more and more unrealistic as they went on. 

She was _desperate,_ and _pining,_ and _so mad about it._

She couldn’t even deny the fact that she missed him. Why else would she be torturing herself like this?

Ninjutsu had never been a priority for her before… At least, not since she was part of a three-man cell. Even back then, the only reason she studied and trained was just so she could keep up with her teammates. Minimum effort, minimum results. The very fact she had even managed to pass her chunin exams (grant it, it had taken her a few tries) was a miracle. No, worse than that. It had been up to _chance_. And sure, once she realized being a chunin opened doors and offered opportunities she otherwise wouldn’t have gotten, she appreciated the promotion. Before that, it was just a new uniform. Same soup, just reheated.

Until a certain spandex-wearing shinobi flew into her life.

Now, training was _fun_. She woke up in the morning, eager to leave her bed. Her interest in ninjutsu was renewed and she was making trackable progress. Sure, it may never be her main focus, but it was turning into a fun hobby.

It was around day thirteen that she ~~cornered~~ ran into Tenten at the market. 

Yasu had tried to act casual, jumping around the topic, asking about Rock Lee, and even talking briefly about what she was making for dinner. Of course, Tenten didn’t buy it for a second. 

“He was asking about you, too,” the girl smirked, “But he’s been out on border rotation for the past week. Neji and I are doing a supply run, soon. We can pass along a message if you want.”

Yasu scoffed. “Of course, not… But if you do see him before I do, just tell him I’ve been developing my technique… And-- if you have time, that is-- see if he can write down that tamagoyaki recipe.”

The young girl rolled her eyes, “Is that all? No love letters you want to send, too?”

“No!” Yasu fumed with a furious blush. 

Tenten just laughed, waving over her shoulder, “He’ll be back soon, Yasu-sempai!”

Yasu scowled at the girl’s back… But smiled the whole way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay! I've worked, like, 60 hours this week and writing unfortunately took a back seat.  
> Sorry again!  
> Thank you for reading!


	23. Chapter 23

Spear & Shield  
Chapter 23

To be fair, she had asked the Hospital administration before she climbed up to the roof.

They had told her no, but she did it anyway. But they were closing in on starting construction on the Monument, and she _had to_ make sure all her measurements were correct. 

So she came just before dawn broke fully, when it was dim enough to see the world in nothing but shades of blue and grey. She brought a scarf to fight off the early morning chill, her trusty theodolite slung across her back. It had been a while since she utilized her tree walking skills, but she managed to scale the building in one slow go. She parked herself at the highest point, a top the clock tower, a warm thermos of tea in hand, and got to work.

“Excuse me, miss.”

Yasu jumped, tea spilling as she slipped away from the theodolite. Her footing was lost as she began to tip backwards, an embarrassing yelp escaping her lips as she saw her life flash before her eyes.

But an arm caught around her waist in a heroic display, securing her just before she went over the edge. The arm that held her did not waver with strain, merely suspending her there as if she weighed nothing at all. After regaining her senses and slowing her racing heart, she dared to wrench one eye open.

Two dark eyes gaze down at her with a pronounced, furrowed brow. A round, youthful face with a full-lipped frown and thick lashes was eyeing her with concern.

Even though they had never met, Yasu immediately knew who he was.

“Are you alright?” he asked, pulling her up to standing once more. “I apologize! I didn’t mean to scare you!”

Yasu opened and shut her mouth a few times before shaking her confusion off entirely, “Ah… Yes, I’m alright. Thank you.”

He took a step back, his hands behind his back and posture pin-straight, "As penance for startling you, I shall climb Hokage tower without using my hands!" he declared.

"That's quite alright," Yasu drawled, "No harm done, no penance necessary."

He stared at her for a short moment, dark eyes wide and unblinking. The intensity of his stare was a bit unsettling. “They don’t allow people up here, you know.”

Yasu nervously took up residence back beside her theodolite, “Oh… I wasn’t aware.” She was entirely aware. “What are you doing up here, then?”

“Training!” he beamed, “I come up here every morning!”

Yasu felt her face split into a grin. Oh, how long it had been since she smiled like this. “But you just said they don’t allow people up here.”

The young boy cocked his head to the side, scratching at the bandages on his left arm, “Yes, they have a very strict policy.”

She chuckled under her breath, tucking her grin behind her scarf, “Is your name Rock Lee, by any chance?”

The boy beamed, face flushing with pride, “Yosh! So You’ve Heard the Legend of Konoha’s Wild Green Beast?!”

“I’ve heard stories, yes,” she smiled wider, “I’ve also heard you’re recovering from a very intense procedure. Should you really be training?”

Now he blushed for an entirely different reason. “Eh? Ah, erm…” his poor, honest brain scrambled to cobble together an excuse, “W-well Tsunade-sama said that I needed mild exercise to help me heal…”

“Like physical therapy?”

He nodded.

Yasu smirked, pulling out the extra thermos of tea she just so happened to bring with her, handing it to the boy. How he wasn’t shivering in that ridiculous jumpsuit of his was beyond her. Even in her usual chunin uniform, vest and all, with her scarf, she was still shivering a bit, tucking her fingers into her sleeves to warm her hands.

Lee took the thermos with a tentative smile. 

“Tell you what, Lee-san,” she sat back down atop the clocktower, lowering the legs of her theodolite until she could comfortably look through it while sitting. “You go on and do whatever exercises Tsunade-sama gave you--” he opened his mouth to argue, but she kept going, “--and I won’t tell anyone you came up here to train, so long as you don’t tell anyone I came up here to work.”

Lee fell silent, cupping the thermos and looking torn. While he had assumed he had caught her in the act, she had quickly turned the tables on him. Regardless, he’d rather finish what he came up here to do before the nurses saw that his bed was empty. He eventually nodded in concession, taking a sip of warm tea.

Yasu grinned, happy she had won. The pair lapsed into a comfortable silence. Yasu went back to her survey measurements, running some quick calculations to account for the shape of the mountainside. Lee began a series of stretches that reminded her of the ones Academy students did before practical drills. She kept watch out of the corner of her eye, making sure he didn’t start doing one-handed pushups or run laps. 

He watched her back, openly staring as she jotted down notes, staring through the strange contraption, occasionally twisting the knob on the side.

“What kind of work are you doing, Miss?” he asked, curious. “Are you a spy?”

She hummed, shaking her head, “No… We’re starting construction on the Hokage monument in a few days. I’m just double checking some things…” she shoved her pencil into her ponytail, tucking her notebook into her vest pocket. “Just to make sure everything’s perfect.”

Lee smiled at her nodding, “Fascinating! Are you a sculptor?”

“I wish,” she sighed, “It’s more of a hobby, really.”

“Gai-sensei says that hobbies are where our true passions lay.” 

“Yeah, I can see Gai-sensei saying something like that.”

His face brightened even more, coming to stand by her on the clocktower, “Do you know Gai-sensei?”

The sun had risen by now, clearing away the mist of the morning, drying the dew on the tree leaves and beginning to chase away the nightly chill. Yasu allowed herself a moment to bask in the morning sunlight, letting it warm her cheeks. 

“We train together sometimes,” she answered vaguely as she began to fold up her theodolite. “But he’s been gone for a while.”

“Oh…” he helped her down from her perch, “He returns to the Village today.”

She paused, “Really?” She tried to keep the eagerness out of her voice, but failed miserably. Thankfully, Lee did not seem to notice. 

“Yes! My teammates and I are meeting him at the gate! Would you like to come?”

She froze, face going red, “Eh… I-I suppose I could.”

He grabbed her hand, “Good! We shall leave at once!”

“Wait-- huh?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again these chapters took so long to get out.  
> Full disclosure, I wrote 5-6 full length chapters, but none of them felt right. So now I have 10K+ words more of this story, but I'm not sure if I'll use any of it. I kind of have to remind myself that this story is just for fun.  
> Thanks again for reading!!


	24. Chapter 24

Spear & Shield  
Chapter 24

As it turned out, “at once” did not mean “at once.”

It was more like, “at once, after two hours of haggling with medics and nurses and signing some very official-looking forms, negotiating then taking responsibility for Lee’s temporary release.”

“I understand he has physical limitations, but this seems excessive,” Yasu argued with the girl at the lobby desk, “This can’t be normal procedure.” 

The poor girl sighed, glancing over to Lee out of the corner of her eye, “It’s not.”

Yasu inhaled sharply, Lee’s bright and hopeful face quickly putting an end to her internal debate. Tersely, she signed her name at the bottom of the page. 

Something about Lee’s utter obliviousness endeared Yasu to the point of manipulation. He gave her one little grin, and here she was, giving up her free time and neglecting responsibilities.

“Alright,” she turned to him, theodolite slung across her back once more. She already felt like a completely different person than she had when she first got up this morning. Perhaps changing her vocation from sculptor to babysitter had something to do with it. “We have a few hours before I need to bring you back.”

She was beginning to think he only invited her to be his chaperon. Then again, Lee doesn’t seem like the type. 

Rock Lee gave her a shining smile and a thumbs-up, dissolving all of her suspicions, “Yosh, excellent!”

The nurses insisted on him taking his crutch, which Yasu noted he hadn’t been using when he met her up on the roof. He didn't seem to really need it.

Just as the two made to leave, she heard "Eh? Yasu-sempai?" 

Yasu turned to the entrance, seeing Tenten walk in, followed by another long-haired teen. The two approached her and Lee, each looking at her with mild surprise. 

“What are you doing here?”

Yasu wasn’t nearly as surprised to see them as they were her, “Ah, good morning, Tenten-chan. Lee-san and I were just about to head out to the gate.”

Truthfully, she thought it was really sweet Gai’s students gathered together just to greet him back to the Village. With Lee’s injuries on top of everything else that’s been going on lately, she assumed this may be the first happy reunion they’ve had in a while. 

“Yasu-sempai?” Lee echoed, joining the other two. “Why is that name familiar…?”

It was then the rooftop pair realized that Lee had taken to calling her “Miss” this whole time, never bothering to ask her name. Not that Yasu had thought to give it, either. 

“ _Lee,_ ” Tenten hissed, eyes shifting from her one teammate to the other, “Yasu-sempai is Gai-sensei’s…" she waved her hand in the air, _"'Friend_.'”

She watched the recognition dawn on his face. All of a sudden, Lee turned to her, marveling and awe-struck. Stars were in his eyes as his mouth dropped into a perfect “O.”

“Yasu-sempai!” he declared, pointing at her. “Gai-sensei’s Blossoming Azalea!”

Frustration bubbled in her stomach as she rubbed her temples to stave off an oncoming headache.

"Student. I am his student. Just like the rest of you."

Tenten snorted, “Whatever you say, Yasu-sempai. How'd you know we were meeting here, anyway?” 

"I didn't."

“I found her on the roof!” Lee explained, exuberant.

The girl behind the desk's head snapped up to give them an incredulous glare, “On the roof…?”

“Okay!” Yasu announced, clapping a hand on Lee’s shoulder and steering the kids back towards the entrance, “We better get going!”

Konoha’s hospital lay towards the center of the Village, and was a straight shot to the Main Gate by following the central path that bisected through the whole village. 

She let the three students take the lead, trailing behind them at a comfortable pace. It was early enough in the morning for the streets to just begin filling with bustling citizens. Shops were flipping their “Closed” signs to “Open.” Food stalls began to warm up, filling the air with a mix of delicious aromas. 

Lee recounted their morning on the rooftop to Tenten, particularly the part about how he daringly "rescued" her from a nasty fall. 

“I fell because of _you_ ,” she grumbled, mostly to herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, the long-haired one smirked. As the street narrowed with the growing number of civilians, the group split with Tenten and Lee up front and the other trailing behind next to Yasu. For a few minutes, the two relented to listening to Lee’s chatter. 

It was Yasu who decided to break the ice between them. “I’m guessing you’re Hyuuga Neji,” she asked with an awkward half-smile. 

“You’re correct,” he responded, not looking at her, “And you are Ushi Yasu.” He sounded bored and unimpressed.

“You’re correct as well.”

A minute passed before he spoke again, “Some of your family has been aiding with renovations on my clan’s compound. They do good work.”

Yasu’s eyebrows shot up at the sudden compliment, “Oh. Thank you.” 

The two lapsed into an odd silence, merely trailing behind their companions at a leisurely pace. Neji kept his eyes ahead, arms crossed over his chest, but she still felt him watching her. There was an air of suspicion about him, the same sort of unease she had initially felt from Tenten. But where Tenten had been quickly won over, she had a feeling Neji wouldn’t be quite as easy.

A small, content smile appeared on her face as the final piece of this strange little group fell into place. Their steps synced up and the conversation blended naturally. Neji joined in scolding with Tenten when Lee began to ramble on about the training he would do once Gai-sensei returned. The admiration and enthusiasm in Lee’s voice filled her with a warmth she was steadily growing more familiar with. 

The gate came into view where a small group of jounin were visible, gathered around the admission desk. From context, she assumed they were the first rotation group, having been sent back as the second rotation was sent out. A few seemed roughed up, all looking a little ragged and tired. She pushed away thoughts of _why_ groups of jounin were being sent to the border. 

Among the group, she caught a glimpse of green. 

“Gai-sensei!” Lee dashed forward, moving as fast as his crutch would allow.

“Lee!” Gai broke from the group, tears already flowing at the sight of his favorite student out of the hospital. 

The two met each other in a tight embrace, radiating callow sentiment. Neji and Tenten tolerated the spectacle from a few steps away, each chagrined and cringing. 

But Yasu stood a little further removed than them, and found the whole thing rather endearing, their reactions included. Sure, the loud sobbing was a little much, but it was sweet nonetheless. 

They continued to wail, “Gai-sensei!”

“Lee!”

“Please stop your blubbering,” Neji stepped forward, face twisted in annoyance, “You’re drawing unwanted attention.”

Sure enough, every one of the first-rotation jounin, as well as the two desk chunin were quizzically staring at the little group. Yasu gave them a shaky smile and a little wave. 

Tenten looked similarly uneasy, “Maybe we should go somewhere else.”

“Tenten-chan’s right,” Yasu took that moment to step forward as well, “Let’s get out of the way, eh?”

And that’s when he finally saw her.

Gai's expression transformed from a gleaming, teary-eyed grin to a dopey smile as he finally realized she was there as well, "Yasu-chan…?" There was something in his voice she couldn’t quite place… Something like amazement, but closer to the heart. Like seeing her was too good to be true. That starry-eyed smile grew until his eyes dropped to Tenten and Neji at her side, and he quickly changed his demeanor, "I mean, Ushi-san" he even bowed, "It is good to see you again!" His posture straightened, arms crossed and nonchalant, but still not _quite_ meeting her eye. 

She was glad she had her scarf to duck into to cover the heat of her cheeks. Nothing could stop the smile from her face, though.

She stifled a giggle as she bowed back. "Gai-sensei," she played along, sounding as casual as possible, "I hope you don't mind that I came along." She nodded to Lee by his side, "Lee-san was kind enough to invite me."

"Of course not!" he answered quickly, "I don't mind the slightest!"

“Maybe Yasu-sempai can join us for training, too!” Lee added eagerly. 

“Yosh! A wonderful suggestion, Lee!”

“You’re not supposed to be training, Lee-san,” Yasu sighed, hands on her hips. “We talked about this.”

“Yasu-sempai’s right,” Tenten joined her, mimicking her posture, “Tsunade-sama said no strenuous activities for another week!”

The two regarded the girls nervously before conceding. 

“They’re right, Lee,” Gai sighed, as if only just now remembering Lee's injuries, “In order for you to get stronger, you need to heal first.”

The boy clearly looked dejected, but resigned himself with a nod, “Once I am healed, I promise I will become stronger than ever!” 

The statement sent Gai straight back to being a sobbing mess, “Lee…! Your Youthful Dedication Shall Not Be Diminished By Such a Minor Setback!”

_‘Minor setback…?’_ Yasu thought with a frown, _‘He almost died.'_

The other two shared in her grievance. 

“C’mon you two,” Tenten huffed, grabbing both Lee and Gai by the elbow, “I was promised a free meal.”

Yasu opened her mouth to bring up the fact that she had to get Lee back to the hospital, but was stopped short when Gai went, “Yosh! A Marvelous Idea! Young minds require proper nutrition to grow strong!”

“Are you coming too, Yasu-sempai?” Lee asked eagerly over his shoulder as the group began back down the man path.

_‘Well… another hour or two wouldn’t hurt…’_ she thought to herself as she began to follow. Neji fell into step beside her, hands in his pockets and looking twice as reluctant. She pulled her scarf down to lay loosely across her chest, “Lead the way.” 

“Great! There’s a teahouse nearby I’ve been dying to try!” Tenten cheered, taking point.

An electric chill shot up Yasu’s spine. “A teahouse…?”

_‘Uh-oh.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's been reading and supporting this story!! Your comment and kudos always make my day, thank you so much!!


	25. Chapter 25

Spear & Shield    
Chapter 25

Yasu trudged along in the middle of their little group, mind racing with ideas and excuses to run away.

It wouldn't be easy… 

Neji was behind her, she could feel his eyes on her back. Lee and Tenten took the lead, Lee walking independently, using the crutch sparingly as he went. Gai walked beside her, not at all slowed by the long journey he had made just earlier that morning. Yasu vaguely wondered how he did it, how he was able to travel from the outpost to the Village and still have the energy to get an early lunch with his students. But her thoughts were a little too preoccupied with the issue at hand to dwell on it. 

Her right side was unguarded, making it the most obvious escape route. In fact, she might even have an old flashbang in her pocket, making for the perfect distraction. But what about returning Lee…?

“Yasu-chan?” Gai leaned over slightly to whisper to her, “Are you feeling alright? You look a little pale.”

She gave him her best reassuring smile, “I’m fine, Gai-sensei. Thank you.”

If she had been paying more attention, she would have seen his ears turn bright red and hear his breath hitch the slightest bit at the sight of her smile.

She didn't want to lie to him, but her tongue wouldn't let her take the excuse to leave. Although she was very much _not_ fine, she couldn't allow Gai to worry. She certainly didn't want him to think she was rudely declining their generous offer, lest she never be invited out again.

And yet, she was still debating the pros and cons of kidnapping an injured genin in broad daylight. All she would have to do was get him back to the hospital, then hide away forever without an explanation. Easy.

“Are you sure you want to go to this teahouse, Tenten-chan? I know a few good places that are even closer,” Yasu asked, shooting her final shot.

Tenten quirked an eyebrow at her over her shoulder, “The only place closer is the Korean barbeque restaurant… We go there all the time.” She shrugged, “Besides, I heard this place was pretty good.”

 _'Maybe I should tell them it has roaches…'_ she thought. Though the repercussions of starting such a rumor made her stay silent. Ichiro would have her head if he found out she was spreading such blasphemy. 

And it's not like she didn't want them to go to the teahouse. By all means, she was happy her brother's business was attracting new customers. But the thought of having _this_ particular group in the same building as one of her family members made her stomach turn inside out. 

They turned down a side street, "There it is!" Tenten pointed to the colorful noren banner along the tea house entrance. 

Yasu took a moment to say a prayer and steady her resolve. Looks like she wouldn't be using that flashbang after all.

"Welcome, please come in!" a familiar voice chimed from behind the counter.

The look Yasu gave Ichiro was harsh and severe; a look he was unfamiliar with outside of enemy combat. Having long since put his combat days behind him, her glare caught him off guard.

 _'Be quiet,'_ she demanded silently, hoping her eyes alone would convey the thought, _'Don't say anything.'_

He blinked, shaking himself from his stupor. "Can I, uh, get you folks a table?"

The rest of her party smiled politely, thanking him as he directed them to a large table by the front window. 

Yasu sat at the end, Gai and Neji on one side, mirroring Tenten and Lee. 

_‘I should not be here,’_ she thought to herself, fists clenched under the table. _‘I should_ **_not_ ** _be here.’_

Ichiro caught her eye from behind the counter as he plated dishes, worry evident on his face. She tentatively dropped a hand by her side, only visible to him. She flashed a few hand signs, praying Ichiro still remembered them from his shinobi days. _‘Quiet. Remain calm. No questions.’_

 _"Are you okay?"_ he mouthed back.

_'Affirmative. Allies. Remain calm.'_

It took a minute, but Ichiro's brain eventually caught on. " _Is that him?”_ he asked, openly pointing to Gai’s back. 

_‘Quiet. No questions,’_ she signed again with a quick flourish.

 _“That’s him!”_ he grinned, clearly trying to fight breaking out in laughter. 

She made a face, mouth twisting into a scowl at his sheer jubilance. Here she had been thinking Ichiro would be the mature one, who would stay out of her personal life and allow her some space. Clearly not the case.

“Do you see anything you like, Yasu-sempai?” Tenten asked politely, noticing Yasu had yet to even touch the menu.

“... Maybe just miso soup…” she murmured, resigned. She dragged her eyes away from her meddling brother. “Or veggie tempura. I’m not that hungry.”

“The special today is tsukemono, fresh sencha, and nori!” Ichiro added from behind the counter, his fiendish smile suddenly looking much more friendly than before. 

“Oooh!” Tenten cooed, “That sounds good, yeah?”

The table nodded in agreement. Gai made sure all of his students were in agreement before turning to Yasu expectantly. She answered with a half-smile and a small nod.

“Splendid!” Gai grinned. “We would like a special for the table, please!” he told Ichiro, who looked rather excited to get such an order.

“Of course!” he beamed, “Right away!”

He disappeared into the kitchen and Yasu let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. The teahouse had only just opened for the day, the only other customer being a single civilian who looked to be almost done with their meal. 

“How was your trip from the border, Gai-sensei?” she asked quietly, skirting around the fact that he was sent there at all.

“Invigorating!” he answered in his usual way, “I lead my comrades fearlessly through the countryside! We made it to the Village in half the time!”

“I’m sure they loved that,” Neji muttered, eyes still skimming the menu.

“It took Neji and I a day and a half to reach the outpost,” Tenten added with a wince.

Their droll tones made Yasu chuckle, “A little exercise never hurt anyone, especially not a bunch of elite ninja. Besides, that's pretty impressive.”

Gai threw his head back in laughter, “That was nothing! Have I told you the story of how I crawled through the desert in Wind Country on my knees?”

Lee’s eyes lit up as Neji and Tenten each let out a groan. Disregarding their reactions, Gai launched into a dramatic telling of an escort mission gone awry.

Yasu felt that feeling once more, like she was watching a scene unfold before her, being just a bit more removed from it than the others. While she still felt somewhat like an intruder, she allowed herself to relax into her role as spectator. 

The smiles were genuine, and the laughter came easy. 

By the time Gai finished his tale, Megumi arrived at the table with their tea. She raised an eyebrow at her sister-in-law, giving her a clear _“We’re gonna talk about this”_ stare. Yasu gave the mousy woman a tight smile, which only grew even tighter when Ichiro brought their food. 

Thankfully, the two backed away from their table, curiosity-stricken faces going unnoticed by her companions.

“Itadakimasu!”

During their meal, Gai eventually brought up the question of how exactly Lee and Yasu ended up at the hospital together. “And what’s that funny thing?” he added, pointing to the theodolite she had propped up behind her chair.

She heard Ichiro hide a chuckle from behind the counter. 

“I wasn’t on the roof, if that's what you're asking," she stated, too rushed to not be suspicious.

“She was on the roof,” Lee said at the same time. “Even though it’s against the rules.”

“I had asked first,” she defended, although no one was really accusing her of everything. "It's the best spot in the Village to take the measurements I need."

“And what were you doing up there, Lee?” Gai asked, voice turning stern. "You weren't training again, were you?"

Yasu couldn't help but smile at the expression of fear that slapped across Lee’s face. 

She let Gai hold him in a steely glare for another few seconds before cutting in once more, “He just wanted some fresh air. Right, Lee-san?” Her voice was cool with just a lilt of teasing. 

Rock Lee nodded, mouth tightly shut.

“In fact,” she continued, “I’m quite grateful I ran into him. He saved me from a rather nasty fall.”

Neji gave her a dry, hollow look from his end of the table, “How was an injured genin able to sneak up on a chunin, anyway?”

“I was preoccupied,” she said with a scowl.

Gai nodded, as though agreeing with Neji, "Ambush attacks are one of your weak points, Yasu-chan."

Ichiro’s chuckling got a little louder.

“Th-that’s not--!” she cut herself off, shaking her head. Technically, he was right.

“I forgot to ask, Yasu-sempai,” Lee asked her directly, “What kind of construction are you doing on the mountain?”

"Hm?" She paused, believing it to be obvious, “Adding Tsunade-sama’s face, of course. My father and I were commissioned to carve it.”

A high-pitched gasp of excitment came from behind the counter, “Oh, Yasu! That’s wonderful!”

Yasu froze on spot. Just when she thought she was safe…

Four pairs of eyes snapped to the mousy woman who had just joined her giggling husband behind the counter, stepping out of the kitchen just in time to hear the good news. Megumi’s eyes went wide, the empty tray in her hands slowly eclipsing her face as she realized her mistake.

“Do… do you know these people, Yasu-sempai?” Tenten asked, a little confused.

Ichiro seemed _thrilled_ with the turn of events. “Well, I guess that’s that. So, Yasu-chan~!” he practically purred, “Why don’t you introduce us to your friends already?”

Yasu’s face dropped into her hands and the apprehension was clear. Her shoulders slumped towards the tabletop, as if she was trying to disappear into the furniture.

“Sorry, Yasu…” she heard Megumi whisper.

Her insides twisted in embarrassment, a stark contrast to the warm comfort she had felt just moments before. It was her own fault, really. She should have known better than to let her guard down around her family. 

(Part of her knew that she should have never allowed herself to get into this situation in the first place. The part of her that knew the “sane” thing would have been to be forthcoming from the beginning. But she had left that part of her back on the hospital roof.)

“...Are you famous?” Lee added in a whisper, thick brows furrowed as he pieced the situation together.

Yasu shook her head, face completely buried in her hands, “Uhm… Well…” Her hands lowered just enough that she could peek over her fingertips. 

She met Gai's eye with all the pathetic-ness of a sickly kitten. Gai stared back at her, dark eyes alight with curiosity, and just a hint of concern. In fact, their whole table was staring at her.

Gods, sometimes she wished he left her in that crater…

She let the atmosphere fester for another breath before she rescinded with a sigh.

“Gai-sensei, kids… This is my brother Ushi Ichiro, and his lovely wife, Megumi.”

A figurative lightbulb lit up over their heads.

Gai’s head whipped between the two siblings. Behind the counter, the couple bowed politely, offering a quick and awkward greeting while they waited for his reaction. Of course, now that knew, it was obvious. They had the exact same smile. Even now, as Ichiro grinned at him from across the counter, he saw the way the right corner of his mouth pulled higher than the left. The way the corner of his eyes crinkled, hers did the same. He knew this because the image of Yasu’s smile had been long since seared into his brain.

Gai stood abruptly with an unreadable expression. For a moment, Yasu was afraid he would leave all together.

Instead, he spun on heel, dropping at the waist into a deep bow. “It Is Wonderful To Finally Make Your Acquaintance, Ushi-san!” He snapped upright once more, striking his “nice guy” pose to a point, “I Am Maito Gai! As Yasu-chan’s Teacher, I Vow to Protect Her With My Life!”

Awkward silence reigned once more.

Ichiro’s shoulders twitched, mouth pressed into an airtight seal. His face grew redder and redder as he attempted to hide more laughter. 

Thankfully, Megumi was much more considerate, “It's nice to meet you as well, Maito-san.”

Yasu caught Ichiro’s eye. She tilted her chin upwards and fixed him with a narrowed stare, discreetly nodding to her exuberant companion. It was more a demand than a challenge to him, as if she were saying, “ _I_ **_dare_ ** _you to laugh,_ ” while simultaneously conveying the consequences of him doing so. 

Unnerved by his little sister’s glare, Ichiro swallowed his residual chuckles. He regarded the ridiculous display with, “It’s a pleasure, Maito-san. Yasu tells me you’re very talented at taijutsu.”

As it turned out, Gai’s natural charisma worked much more quickly on her family than it had on her. Soon enough, the two behind the counter became wrapped up in their little domestic meal.

Yasu leant on her palm as she watched them all, a content smile on her face. The children joined the conversation, thanking the couple for their hospitality and wonderful food. Friendly chatter began to fill the restaurant once more.

Although uncertainty still churned in her stomach, Yasu allowed herself a brief moment of peace. She allowed herself to be proven wrong, ignoring all the stress she had unwittingly caused herself. She was pleasantly lost among the conversation, declining the invitation to stay for dessert.

That content little smile hadn't faded as she exited the teashop, bidding her brother a short goodbye as their little group took to the streets once more. It stayed as they began to go their separate ways; as Neji broke away towards the Hyuuga compound, and Tenten towards the training grounds. It even remained as she helped Lee hobble back to his hospital room. And it certainly didn’t budge when Gai excused himself, hastily thanking her for such a wonderful meal and alluding to the fact that they should do it again at some point.

She let that feeling spread throughout her being, not bothering to try and name it. Instead, she let herself be for just a moment.

 _‘Sunshine,’_ she thought idly, heading vaguely in the direction of home. _‘It’s warm like sunshine.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the late update, another crazy week kept me from writing.  
> Quick note: so Ichiro's teahouse is based off of one that is mentioned in the series, but the term "teahouse" is a bit lost in translation. This one is more akin to a diner than an actual Japanese teahouse, but I use the term anyway. Apologies from an ignorant westerner.  
> Thank you all so much for reading and supporting this story!


	26. Chapter 26

Spear and Shield   
Chapter 26

  
  


A lovely sunset over a lovely day made for a lovely evening in the lovely but humble home of Ichiro and Megumi.

The rich, salty smell of kabayaki filling their small apartment above the teahouse. Dishes clinked throughout the tiny kitchen as eel sizzled on the griddle. Ichiro busied himself between chopping vegetables and mixing his homemade sauce as his wife comfortably sipped tea at their table.

“I don’t know,” Ichiro said with a disinterested shrug, flipping the eel to another satisfying  _ hiss _ . “What do you think?”

“Oh, there’s  _ something _ going on,” his wife replied with confidence, lips pursed over the edge of her teacup.

“And what makes you think that?” he responded, carrying their dinner over to the kitchen table. His skills in the art of cuisine were nowhere near his wife’s, but he was quite proud of this particular meal.

Megumi, simply overjoyed at the fact she was not the one standing over the stove, graciously stared at the spread, mouth watering. 

“Simple,” she replied, already taking a bit of the unagi before he had even set down the plate. It burned the roof of her mouth, but she persevered, “Have you ever seen her smile that much?”

Ichiro paused, “Well, now that you mention it…”

“It’s not like it’s a bad thing,” she added through a mouthful, “He seems pretty nice, doesn’t he?”

“Nice enough… Kind of weird though, don’t you think?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.”

His first instinct was to disagree and begin to rattle off the rather large list of strange things Gai had said and done during their brief interaction earlier that day. What does “power of youth” mean, anyway?

But his years with Megumi had taught him some integrity, and he quickly pushed the thought away. “Well, I suppose not…”

“Even if there isn’t anything,” she added without any conviction, “It’s nice that Yasu made a friend.”

“But why can’t she have a _normal_ friend?”

“Maybe Yasu isn’t normal, have you thought about that?”

Ichiro chewed his food, pondering his sister in a way he never had before. Quickly finding that train of thought rather unpleasant, he turned to his wife once again, “All the more reason for her to find someone more...” He paused to think of the right word, "Someone who suits her, you know?"

Megumi eyed her husband with a frown, swallowing another mouthful before replying, “You’re overthinking it, Ichiro.”

He sighed, knowing his wife was right.

“Besides,” she continued, “If you’re really that concerned, just get your mother involved.”

A cold feeling cloaked itself upon Ichiro’s shoulders. “I couldn’t do that to her… Jiro would. Shiro, maybe… But I couldn’t.”

His eyes drifted across the table, taking in the beautiful image of his wife and the empty plate in front of her. The flush of her full cheeks and the calm sort of bliss he saw in her eyes. 

He then recalled a similar evening in the Ushi household that had ended with Megumi in tears and nearly prevented their marriage altogether.

Ignorant to the horrible memories her husband was reliving, Megumi smirked at him over her teacup, “Then you’re not concerned.” She took a sip, “Just be happy for her and stop thinking about it.”

“I can’t help it,” he frowned, trying to rationalize his discomfort. 

Nothing he could put into words made sense without him putting his foot in his mouth.  The younger, more naïve part of him sympathized with Gai.  Surely, he had made himself out to be a fool when he first met Megumi, and the gods know he certainly made a fool of himself in front of her family… And yet he couldn’t quite pivot out of his own perspective. He couldn’t see whatever it was Yasu saw in Gai. 

Frankly, he didn’t want to. 

Instead, he justified himself and his thoughts by saying, “She’s my sister.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick blurb I wanted to write, next chapter will be up soon!  
> Super huge thank you to everyone who's been interacting with story with their kudos and comments!! Again, I'm waaaay behind in responding to the comments, but know that I am overcome with joyful emotion every time I read them! Thank you all so much!!


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Mentions of PTSD and anxiety.

Spear and Shield   
Chapter 27

A few days later, Yasu found herself strolling along the upper-level of the Village. Her eyes carefully studied every structure in her sight, noting abnormalities and defects, while fantasizing about development layouts that would never be approved. 

It was a feckless hobby of hers to observe like this, but it was getting too cold for her to sit atop the Monument like she normally did. And despite her upcoming commission, she still needed to make her weekly patience reports.

She let her mind meander, just as her feet did, in slow and placid pace. 

Languid and meditative, she drifted in a cloud of small thoughts. 

She was grounded and level, the waves of her thoughts gently kissing the shores of tranquility. She was drifting, wandering but not lost.

Her feet rounded along the path once more, and a new section of the Village came into her view.

Her eyes fell upon the southwest corner of the Village, noting the brand new roof tile and walls that were not  _ quite  _ the right color… Cracked windows, chipped stones, and splintered wood. Buildings older than her with brand new doors. Scratches in the walls that were too large and deep to be normal wear-and-tear.

In the blink of an eye, the tranquility she had lulled herself into shattered. It was thrown off and tilted and twisted until it was unrecognizable.

_ The sound was deafening. An explosion, a tsunami of sound waves that could be heard for miles and miles around. The blast brought with it a horrible wind, kicking up dirt and dust in a powerful rush. A beast roared above their heads, rearing back to open its maul in a gaping hiss. Its body slithered and swooped, darting forward with intent to destroy. Rocks and brick collapsed with deafening crashes that overlapped in a building storm, layering on top of one another until she could no longer hear the screams. The ground shook beneath her feet, threatening to sink and fracture and swallow her up. The paths she walked everyday became deadends. The walls she once leaned on were crumbled to lines of debris, forming skeletal outlines of the buildings that once stood.  _

They had done the best they could with the resources they had at the time. Immediate triage focused on the wall.

_ The hole gaped at them, mocking them in its largeness. 'How weak,' it said to them, 'How vulnerable.' _

She clearly recalled staring over her shoulder as she and others laid brick, paranoid that the giant beast of a snake would come darting through the trees and destroy the same wall once more. Each stone was laid with shaking hands and quiet words and she and the rest of the team salvaged what they could. 

How long had the nightmares lasted? ...Had they stopped? She couldn’t recall having one recently. Then again, her ghosts rarely haunted her with nightmares. 

Instead, they manifested in internal attacks that sent her careening into a seemingly endless dismay. The way her chest would clench, seizing her heart and lungs in a painful vice. The same feeling would shoot painfully up her neck, covering her brain in a net of static that trapped her away from any thought that wasn’t the destruction she witnessed that day. Her own mind became a self-imposed prison where she was her own captor. 

...So many had been lost during that siege. 

But Yasu had lost no one that day. She had lost her Hokage, Sandaime, just as the rest of Konoha collectively had... Really, the only thing she had lost was her sense of security. 

She mourned it all the same.

Looking at it now, one could barely tell. They had done a remarkable job recovering from the damage. But the feeling of violation would not be covered; not by wood and nails or stone and concrete. It persisted and permeated into the edges of her being, a constant shadow in the corner of her eye.

She wasn’t sure if it would ever go away… She wondered if there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

“Good Morning, My Most Esteemed Yasu-chan! What Ails You On This Beautiful Day?”

She had been too wrapped up in her thoughts to have noticed him, even as he made a spectacle of himself.

He grinned up at her, standing on his hands, awkwardly loping along a pace that was far quicker than anyone should rightfully be able to do. His palms made soft  _ ‘thump, thump’  _ noises as they slapped against the grass and dirt, following the path she had just taken.

“Gai-sensei!” she shook herself from her stupor. “Good morning,” she mumbled, embarrassed to be caught so off-guard. Those thoughts consumed her, as they always did, even muting her shinobi senses. She hadn’t noticed a man marching around on his hands until he called out to her.

He wobbled a little closer before launching into a graceful-- albeit unnecessary-- backflip, landing silently on his feet. 

For a short second, her shoulders tensed in preparation for an attack, a residual side-effect from the anxiety she felt.

Instead, Gai flashed her a blinding smile and a thumbs up, remaining a decent space away. She wondered if he kept the distance because of her discomfort.

Still, she forcefully shoved the thoughts away, tearing her attention from the southwest corner. “Running laps?” she asked him with a small smile, pointedly ignoring his question about her "ails" while hiding shaking hands behind her back.

“Of course!” he responded plainly.

“Bit early for laps, isn’t it?” she shrugged, “You should be enjoying your leave.”

Border rotation was usually followed by a mandatory furlough, lasting anywhere from a few days to a week. Most ninja chose to rest during this time, choosing to decompress and recuperate. 

Maito Gai was not most ninja.

“I grew too restless!” he told her, shameless. “I have far too much youthful energy to stay idle for long!”

She thought back to her previous frustrations while he had been away. The amount of secretive training she had done in his absence, just to diffuse the energy welling up inside of her. “I wouldn’t say resting is the same as idleness, but… I know the feeling,” she told him with a smile so genuine and warm, it nearly took his breath away. The light it brought to her face chased away the melancholy he had previously seen.

He felt heat rising in his cheeks and panicked, “Perhaps you would like to train as well?” he quipped, words spilling from his lips at great speed. “I-I mean-- with me, that is.”

Yasu paused at the request. Mostly because it had never  _ been  _ a request before. Normally, their training had been either the result of an ambush attack on his end, or a pre-scheduled demand that typically sounded a bit threatening…

Now, he just sounded… nervous?

Regardless of the unusual turn their dynamic had taken, Yasu felt relieved that he had thought to ask first. 

Because the unpleasantness was still too fresh, it held her too tightly. “Ah… Thank you, Gai-sensei, but I’m afraid I’m at a loss for ‘youthful energy’ today.”

So his initial assessment had been correct… When he first saw her after his fifth lap around the Village, he knew she seemed off. At first, he thought she was some sort of genjutsu illusion or perhaps a poorly executed shadow clone. But the second he came in range to feel her chakra, he knew it was her.

Gai took a step closer, slow and careful and not very like himself at all. 

“Is everything alright?” he asked, voice low and serious as she had ever heard it. The way pure concern pulled at his brow, and the puzzlement in his eyes… The way his whole body seemed to say,  _ “Tell me what’s wrong.” _

She felt her heart fall open, but her tongue refused to comply, “It’s nothing.” A breeze blew by, and Yasu’s arms came to wrap around herself, hands no longer shaking. 

Her tone was as casual as she could manage, but it felt as though she had just closed a door between them. A door he had opened for her, but she couldn’t go through.

“Yasu-chan…” he sighed, hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck in something akin to embarrassment. 

Yasu had never really mastered the shinobi skill of hiding one's emotions. Annoyance, discomfort, curiosity, determination, these were all things Gai was used to seeing on her face. He could read her like a book; from her posture, her lips, her hands, to the way her eyes shifted. In fact, he frequently used these tells to his advantage during their spars. 

But at that moment, he couldn’t see anything. That frightened him.

Reliving painful memories had stolen her energy. The brokenness needed to settle before she could move past it again. She couldn't bring herself to fight or spar right now, no matter how much she missed it.

But this was Gai. And the loneliness and longing she had felt in his long absence was there as well. Unlike those memories, which came and went with good and bad days, she carried that strange loneliness with her. A loneliness that went away when in Gai’s company. One that only started after they had met.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, not sure who she was apologizing to. She tucked a strand of windswept hair behind her ear as she lifted her head to meet the storm of concern and worry in his eyes. 

For a moment, there was understanding there. Something that said _'It's okay, take your time. I'm here.'_

The darkness that held her insides loosened. The southeast corner blended into the background.

“... Would you like to walk with me instead?”

And the door opened just a crack.

Relief washed over Gai in a way he hadn't been expecting. 

“Excellent!” he grinned, “I can focus on my form instead of my speed!”

Another graceful flip sent him back into a handstand and he hobbled over to her side. 

She stared down at his face seeing only mere traces of worry left, now hidden with his usual cheer. Perhaps she would have seen a bit more if he hadn't been upside-down.

Her lips twitched upwards once again. Her belly twitched as laughter bubbled up from her chest, manifesting in stifled giggles that she hid behind her hand. Her other arm clutched her side in an effort to stop her laughter, but failed miserably. She forcefully turned away from the ridiculous sight, back in the direction she had been walking. 

“What’s so funny?” he whined by her knees.

“Nothing!” she snorted, biting back a grin. “Your hands must be filthy.”

“There’s grass stains under my nails,” he admitted somewhat sheepishly, hopping along on one arm as he inspected his nail beds.

The giggling was back, she picked up her pace. 

“Yasu-chan!” he called, easily catching up to her, “Why are you laughing?”

“It’s nothing! It’s just--” she glanced down once more, trailing off. “I missed you, you know.”

Gai paused, watching her back as she walked ahead of him.

“... I missed you as well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *bangs fist on table* I am writing a sappy-mushy-gushy romance and I will NOT apologize!  
> So I've dropped a few hints of Yasu's issues with the Konoha Crush, but I wasn't going to bring it up directly until much later in the story. But I'm in a more angsty mindset today, and this is where the chapter went, so...
> 
> Thanks again to all of you for reading and supporting this story! Thank you so much!!


	28. Chapter 28

Spear & Shield   
Chapter 28

They took their time on their walk back. 

Every step had Yasu slipping back to her usual self. 

A quiet conversation flowed between them, the words and meanings unimportant at the time. 

At some point, Gai flipped back onto his feet, deciding that forty laps was “a decent warm-up.”

The pair had lapsed into a comfortable rhythm, meandering a path neither was aware of, slipping onto one of the wooded trails that splintered from their main path. It didn’t go unnoticed, however, when the trail narrowed and their shoulders began to brush every few steps. And yet, neither chose to speak on it.

When their hands brushed, Yasu could only clasp hers behind her back and duck her head to cover her blush. She didn’t know what was happening. She didn’t know when their morning encounter had strayed from being casual to something… more. Or maybe it had never been casual to begin with, she just hadn’t noticed. 

They had wandered into a seldom-traveled path that led around the edges of the clan compounds. A little neutral territory that served no purpose, housing only trees and wildlife. Yasu found the turn into isolation comforting, in a strange way. Right now, nothing needed to exist outside of them. The rest of the world faded away, and she was okay with it.

She didn’t mind because he brought her back into the sunshine. And that sunshine feeling was worth it.

Gai watched her the whole time they were together, whether Yasu knew it or not. He watched the light come back into her eyes, doing what he could to distract her from whatever darkness had crept up on her.

He’s done it before. A well-earned skill on his part, developed after years of pulling his friends from similar moments. Yasu was much easier than others, seemingly calmed by his presence alone. Normally, he desired a challenge, but in this case… Well, he was more than satisfied with the result.

Which is why when they passed an empty training field, he extended another offer to spar. 

And even though Yasu had a report to draft, followed by preparations for the monument construction, she nodded with a smile anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm screaming I'm so sorry about the delay!! (again!!!!) I don't like posting these little blurbs after not updating for so long, so I'm doing another double update.   
> Thank you all for reading!!


	29. Chapter 29

Spear & Shield   
Chapter 29

A bead of sweat dripped from her temple, down the side of her neck. The sun shone high in the sky, bearing down on the field with a warm light that was steadily growing warmer. 

She had shed her chunin vest and overshirt, which had been abandoned under a tree at the edge of the field as they fought. Even in the mesh armor tank top she wore under her shirt, she was still panting with heated effort. 

“You’ve been practicing!” Gai praised with exalted breath. 

Yasu smirked at the jounin, deflecting another hit with the heel of her palm. “Of course,” she said, easily dodging a punch that could have broken her ribs. “I couldn’t let myself slack off while you were away.” 

She didn’t mention the pining or the loneliness or how taijutsu made her feel closer to him. In fact, she shoved those thoughts as far down as her subconscious would allow her, unable to justify the thought without admitting to something she wasn’t  _ quite  _ ready to acknowledge. 

“Yosh!” he grinned, spinning out of way as she swung a fierce kick. “Your Youthful Enthusiasm is Captivating!”

She scoffed, attempting to elbow him across the face. He easily caught her elbow, using her own momentum to send her flying across the field. 

Yasu landed on her feet, crouching to attack once more. 

This time, she landed a mean palm-strike to his side, her free arm blocking his retaliation hit before leaping back to safety.

There were tears of pride in his eyes as he rubbed his bruising side. “A Wonderous Attack, My Delicate Azalea Blossom!”

“Gai-sensei, I think I’ve more than proven I’m anything but ‘delicate.’”

But that wasn’t the word she lingered on. 

He called her his… And she didn’t mind. In fact, she liked it.

Thankfully, he gave her no time to ruminate on it.

_ “Strong Fist--!” _

The hit caught her across the face, too fast for her to absorb completely, snapping her head sideways. Her hand came up to clutch her jaw as she doubled over, groaning in pain.

Gai balked immediately, reeling in his follow-up attack with a gasp, “Did I harm you, Yasu-chan?!” His voice was sharp with panic and regret.

She hid a smirk behind her hand, quickly diving into a kick that collided with the underside of his chin.

Gai fell backwards with a shout of surprise, catching himself in a backflip that put some space between him. 

“That was cruel and deceptive, Yasu-chan!” he cried.

She gestured to herself with a smug shrug, “I’m a ninja, Gai-sensei.”

“Cruel,” he repeated, looking a bit chagrined. 

Yasu couldn’t help herself. “Sorry,” she chuckled good-naturedly, going in for another attack.

He dodged her delayed assault easily, turning offensive before she could collect herself. 

Gai appeared behind her, his movements now too fast for her to follow. 

_ ‘He’s increasing his speed,’  _ she thought, absorbing a hit to her side,  _ ‘So he’s getting serious.’ _

The fight was as good a distraction as any. Not just from her morning anxiety attack, but from life itself at this point. It was nice to just forget all her stress in the heat of battle. It was like the world outside of the training area didn’t exist. Just her and Gai in the clearing, just them.

She saw him rally for another onslaught, but noticed his left knee twitch.  _ ‘He’ll feign right, but swoop left…’ _

She caught his fist just in time. The sheer force of his punch brought with it a wind that ruffled her hair.

He smirked at her, visibly impressed by her foresight. 

She needed both hands to hold him back, leaving one of his free for attack. 

For a moment, electricity sparked between them.

Eyes of warm brown met steel grey, captured in the heated stare of a challenge.

Yasu caught his punch in a flash of movement, now holding a fist in each hand. She shifted her hips, firming up her stance best she could while still holding him back. The balls of her feet slid against the ground, leaving a trail of up-turned dirt as he slowly began to overcome her. She barely maintained the hold, even using her full strength. Of course, Gai remained cool, hardly breaking a sweat to keep her at bay.

Her teeth grit in a scowl as she tried to push back, only succeeding in leaning slightly closer to him. Frustration clawed at her skull, adding to the pressure she felt. Instinct was begging her to break free and escape, but pride kept her fighting. Adrenaline flooded her brain entirely, sending her into a combat-induced high.

Which is the closest thing to an excuse she had for what came next. Her battle-addled brain wasn’t thinking clearly, she was sure of it...

Her eyes darted around the area, keenly searching for any sign of spying. Satisfied she found none, she went ahead with her plan.

With a valiant push, she leaned in to capture his lips with hers.

And it worked. His arms went a bit slack in his shock, fingers curling away from hers. She finally gained the upper-hand!

But only for a second.

Gai’s surprise had vanished almost instantaneously, and he  _ melted _ .

He released his hold to snatch her around her waist, drawing Yasu as close as possible. A muffled yelp erupted in her throat as he dipped her, bending her back to deepen the kiss. Yasu's own shock webbed just as quickly. Her eyes drifted shut as she craned her neck to meet his every movement. Her hands reached up, fingers gently brushing against his jawline. Her fingertips kept his face close, a light tether of uncertainty as they allowed themselves to drift away from reason. Their lips moved and melded together, each lost to the other.

He finally pulled away, keeping Yasu tightly wrapped in his arms.

Oxygen flooded into her starving lungs, but Yasu still felt breathless.

Slowly, she pulled away from him, hands coming resting gently on his shoulders. Her lips buzzed, electrified by the kiss. His body felt warm against hers, his arms firm and strong as he held her. Their erratic heartbeats slammed together in a jumbled rhythm.

The question floated silently between them, _‘What just happened…?’_

She searched his face for an answer, "Gai…"

He shifted her in his arms, leaning upright to pull her into a proper standing position, but neither took their hands off the other. 

They were close, but so, so still. 

They had been this close before, sure, but under entirely different circumstances. There was no blistering heat of combat here… This was a different kind of heat. 

One of Gai’s hands left her waist, coming up to caress her cheek instead.

She relaxed into his touch, eyes dropping shut as she lost herself in the feeling. She was warm all over, her skin alive and tingling. There was a part of her mind that was trying to tell her to step away, to apologize and run home before embarrassment set in. But she pushed that part away, mindlessly burying it beneath her beating heart. 

Mindless… Thoughtless… Her lips searched for him again.

He bent down to meet her half-way, this time pressing together for a chaste peck. They parted slowly, Gai unwilling to lose anymore of her touch, left his forehead pressed against hers.

And for a moment, they just  _ were. _

He was Gai and she was Yasu. 

Until that sensible part of her mind clawed up out of her chest.

Reluctantly, she peeled herself away from him, only willing to take a single step back and no more. Fear gripped her, its icy claws a sharp contrast to Gai’s warm touch. Her embarrassment and denial lashed at her from the inside, brutally reminding her just how  _ wrong  _ the kiss had been. 

Then why did it feel like that?

She wanted to ask him to kiss her again. She wanted to demand that he sweep her up into his arms and keep her there. 

Instead, she said, “I’m sorry.”

Gai wanted to tell her there was nothing to apologized for. He wanted to tell her to stop talking so he could kiss her again. Instead, he said, “It’s alright.”

"I gotta go," she mumbled, eyes to the ground. Her shoulders were squared straight, limbs twitching with panic. She fidgeted, putting a few more steps between them before pausing. Her mouth opened and shut with words she desperately wanted to say, but instead she parroted herself, "I gotta go."

But Gai just stood there. He didn't know what to say. For once in his life, Maito Gai was lost for words.

"I'll see you around." 

Quick as a dart, she grabbed her discarded vest and shirt, racing back to the trail they had come from. He watched her the whole time, whether she knew it or not, wondering how everything had happened so quickly. 

It was only when he could no longer hear her footsteps or sense her chakra, he let himself breathe. It took him another few minutes for him to gather himself enough to move again.

_'One thousand push-ups,'_ he decided, lacking his usual gusto. 

And after the one thousand push-ups, he did one thousand sit-ups. Then one thousand squats, followed by another few laps around the Village. It was around the time he was scaling Hokage mountain with one hand tied behind his back, that he came to the realization no amount of exercise or training was going to get a certain kunoichi off his mind.

_'Cruel...'_ he thought, finally reaching the top.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone!!  
> Thank you all so much for reading!!


	30. Chapter 30

Spear & Shield   
Chapter 30

There had been an occasional night, every now and again, where Gai would happen upon Hatake Kakashi amidst a rather severe bout of mental bleakness. 

More often than not, Kakashi would be alone and hapless, sulking somewhere in the village where he would not easily be found. Upon discovering his "one and only eternal rival"-- or "friend," as others would say-- in such a state, Gai would take it upon himself to do whatever it took to see Kakashi through such woes.

Sometimes it would be another radical declaration of “challenge." Sometimes it would be a more subdued method, where Gai would sit with him in silence until he was ready to move on once more. Sometimes they would talk, sometimes they wouldn’t. Regardless, Gai always stayed.

He made sure Kakashi was okay.

So when Kakashi found Gai in such a state, he felt the overwhelming need to return the favor. 

He joined his friend atop the monument, letting his legs dangle over the side. 

Gai greeted Kakashi with an absent-minded grunt, kicking some dust up with the heel of his sandal. 

The sun was setting over the horizon, casting the sky in amazing hues of red, orange, and purple. Kakashi was reminded of Uzumaki Kushina’s hair and how it would glisten in the light, shining from vibrant vermillion to a deep, bloody burgundy in the dim shadows. 

As beautiful as the view was, Kakashi couldn’t help but feel unnerved by the sheer silence of the man beside him. 

No declaration of confrontation, no demand for a challenge… No titles exchanged, not even a gross overstep of social norms.

Gai was just… quiet.

It disturbed Kakashi. 

“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?” he asked, voice soft and unassuming. He wasn’t used to being on this side of comfort. 

Gai heaved a dramatic sigh, slumping forward. “I don’t know if anything _is_ wrong.”

“You seem upset.”

“... What makes you say that?”

If Kakashi had a week, he still wouldn’t be able to list all the reasons why Gai seemed off. He settled for, “Just a hunch.”

“Ever intuitive as always, my rival,” Gai scowled with as much humor as he could muster. 

Judging by the fond way he called Kakashi “rival,” it was safe to assume Kakashi was not the cause of his strife. Good to know.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Consolation was not Kakashi’s forte. But he would try for Gai.

So he listened. 

He listened as Gai described a rather impressive spar between him and Ushi Yasu, going into great detail over every move made and possible counter-moves that could have been done, and every hypothetical scenario Gai had come up with.

He listened as Gai recounted how she had faked an injury, only to sneak in a harsh attack.

He listened as Gai described the grappling lock he had caught Yasu in. He listened as Gai admitted this was the moment he had truly realized the progress she had made. He told Kakashi how proud he was of her.

...And then, he listened to the rest.

It was rare for Kakashi to find something interesting enough to hold his attention outside of his beloved Icha-Icha Paradise. The things that did were rarely benign, and more often than not life-or-death situations. 

That being said, he did like training with his students, as adorable and helpless as they were. He also liked missions with his kohai, who looked to him as a beacon of leadership while still being able to speak without rebuke of criticism in a way that most of his peers could not. Kakashi also enjoyed assisting the citizens of Konoha in their day-to-day struggles, even if it made him late for prior engagements. 

The vice of gossip, however, did little to draw Kakashi away from the pages of his esteemed Icha-Icha. 

Yet _this_ bit of gossip enticed him to the point of giddiness.

“Are you saying…” he paused, trying to find the correct phrasing, “That Yasu-san made a move on you?”

Gai’s cheeks were bright red, looking very much like he had just opened his Third Gate. Kakashi was tempted to point out the similarity, but held his tongue. 

“O-of course not!” Gai denied, but his eyes were unsure. “Yasu-chan is my student! She--” he stuttered, eventually trailing off. 

“She made a move?” Kakashi provided, recalling a similar plot point from _Icha-Icha Paradise Six: Lover’s_ _Quarrel_ wherein two soldiers of opposing countries fall helplessly in love. 

“She was surely distracting me!” he vehemently asserted, clenching his fists in front of him with ferocity in his expression. “She must have been trying to distract me to gain advantage!”

“A valiant motive,” Kakashi drawled sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “I only know a few kunoichi who use tactics like that… But Yasu-san doesn’t seem like the type. I think she may have just wanted to kiss you.”

The look of hope in Gai’s eyes almost made Kakashi regret what he said. Almost.

“Why, though?”

Kakashi sighed, clapping a firm hand on Gai’s broad shoulder, “Only she knows the answer to that question. Maybe you should talk to her.”

The sun had fully dipped behind the horizon. Stars appeared above, and the shade of red Kakashi had been ruminating on disappeared into a deep, navy blue. 

“What do you think of Yasu-chan, Kakashi?” 

Gai’s face turned to him as he asked the question, monitoring Kakashi’s expression. He stiffened, no liking how the question was vague and leading in a way he couldn’t quite pin down. 

“I don’t know her very well,” he answered honestly at a length, choosing his words carefully, “But I can say she’s a decent shinobi. She’s a fantastic builder and helps the village as often as she can… She cares deeply about the foundation of the village and wants to see it thrive...” 

Gai hung onto every word.

“...And from what my ninken told me, she makes a great nikujaga.”

“I love nikujaga.”

Kakshi wasn’t sure if there existed a food Gai _didn’t_ love. Still, he noted the comment. “Do you like her?” he finally asked.

“Of course!” Gai answered immediately. “I love all my students--”

“That’s not what I mean, Gai.”

His companion slipped back into that uncharacteristic silence. Quiet, but contemplative in the most chaotic way. Kakashi was familiar with that look, but it didn’t suit Gai. 

When he did finally answer, it was just the sort of thing Kakashi expected to hear.

“She’s an admirable kunoichi.”

Kakashi resisted the urge to push him off the mountain.

“...And?”

Gai gulped down a lump in his throat, face clenching as he came to a realization he may have been avoiding up until now. “And I think I like her.”

Kakashi’s eye turned up in a gleeful smile. He realized how rare it was to see Maito Gai in such a state of unease and nervousness. 

He was half-tempted to seal away the memory in his Sharingan. 

"If it helps any," Kakashi offered, "I'm sure she'll still want to train with you no matter the outcome."

Gai frowned at the ground thousands of meters below them, thoughts so loud Kakashi could practically hear them.

Satisfied he had done his part, Kakashi stood. He fished his usual entertainment from his pocket, flipping to the dog-eared page he had left off on. “Talk to her, Gai.”

Gai tilted his head skyward, shoulders still stuck in a slouch. Kakashi watched with a keen eye, assessing for any signs of distress, but only finding jitters and the type of dread only love could bring.

“... Should I bring her flowers?” Gai asked after a few wordless minutes.

Kakashi’s eyes pinched shut, his frustration hidden behind his mask. “Sure. Bring her flowers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you who left feedback last chapter!  
> This chapter was written (and edited) after a bit of champagne.  
> Happy new year!  
> Thank you for reading!! Thank you for your support!!


	31. Chapter 31

Spear & Shield  
Chapter 31

It was a sunny and mild afternoon in Konohagakure. 

Mount Hokage was haloed in brightly colored ropes, strung between thin posts, with small “keep out!” tags that flutter in the light breeze. The flimsy barrier wrapped around the look-out area, barring off any sight-seers who may wander into the area. It may have been stretched a little larger than necessary, for an extra level of solitude for the work that was to be done.

Yasu looked over the edge of the mountain, taking in the overwhelming sight that was her bustling village. The streets were full as citizens took advantage of the good weather. Peak business hours were approaching, and Yasu watched in real-time as the market district began to fill up. A bell rang out in the distance, and the shouts of children joined the chorus of noises below as the Academy let out for their lunch break. 

Once again, she was overcome with a feeling of surrealist, somehow both embedded into and removed from the people she stood above. It was only here, atop the mountain, that she ever felt this way. 

She took a deep breath through her nose, filling her lungs with a fresh, cool breeze. Chakra flowed to the soles of her feet, connecting her to the earth itself. 

For one, singular moment, she was one with Konoha.

“Are you going to stand there all day?” a voice droned behind her.

The connection broke, leaving Yasu feeling empty. "We're wasting time."

She sighed, face twisting in irritation. _'Today is the day,'_ she hissed to herself, _'That I realize one of my biggest dreams. I am living one of the greatest moments of my life and_ **_he_ ** _has to be here.'_

“Yamato-taicho’s right, Yasu,” her father chimed in, hauling the last bit of equipment through the barrier. “We best get started soon, or it will be midnight by the time we finish.”

She spun around, fixing Yamato with a sharp glare. He stared back evenly, arms crossed over his chest. 

“You’re only here as an assurance,” she sniped tartly, walking over to join him at the center of the closed-off area. 

"Oh?" he smirked down at her, "You'd rather do this on your own, then?" 

She frowned. The very thought of her attempting to do this by herself sending a wave of panic through her. Weeks of careful measurements had been taken, soil and rock samples collected, and (not one, not two, but) six model replicas taking up a substantial amount of space in her apartment. Even with all of that, she still didn't feel ready.

Today had snuck up on her, despite her apprehension. 

Her father had come to fetch her personally, barging into her apartment just before dawn. She hadn’t even gotten out of bed when he threw one of the traditional family haori over her head and demanded she hurry up or else they’d be late.

Late for what? She wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like the mountain was going to carve itself. Regardless... in her state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion, she complied with little argument.

Her glare dropped from his smug face to the stony ground, practically pouting. "I hate that I need your help…" she muttered. She glanced back up, seeing his face shift to surprise. "What?"

"I…" he shook his head in disbelief, "I just didn't think you'd admit it."

A vein twitched in her temple, "What? You expect me to move a mountain by myself?"

"I'd expect you to try before admitting you needed my help," he shrugged.

If she had been in a better state of mind, she may have argued more. Instead, she sighed in defeat and said, "I know my limits, Yamato-taicho."

"Good," he fell back into his usual blank state. "It'll make this easier."

Despite the gargantuan task before them, Yasu couldn’t help herself, “Stop with the snide comments, already!” she retorted, finally snapping. “I swear, I can’t work one job with you without your backhanded attitude.”

“Attitude?!” Yamato echoed, sputtering at her outburst. “I’m not the one being snide! You're the one who treats me like cheap labor--"

"Because _you're_ the one who refuses to listen to me--"

"Well, I _do_ outrank you--"

"Oh, you've _got to be--"_

“ _Children_!” Yasuchika bellowed, pinning the pair with a stern look. "Let me know when you are done with your bickering. We still have a job to do." The two shinobi shot him sheepish and apologetic looks. He sighed again, _‘Yare, yare…’_

Yasu felt herself deflate with her father’s disappointed tone. 

Given recent “events,” she had less of her usual fire. She was distracted in the worst possible way, overwhelmed in a cloud of stress, anxiety, and over-thinking. Having Yamato around certainly didn't help.

Being around someone so irritating only made her crave those who made her feel at ease. 

“We’re ready, Ushi-sama,” Yamato nodded in confirmation, already making his way to the other end of the area. A seal, simple and circular, had been carved into the dirt there. A temporary measure to ensure precision. 

Yasuchika turned to his daughter, “I’ll give the signal.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Yasu’s mouth as she rolled her eyes, “Okay, Dad.”

She took up post opposite Yamato, standing with their shoulders parallel. Below her was the sister seal, the control to the variable. 

Fuuinjutsu was far from her forte, but the same method had been used in the past… It took a lot of effort, but the system worked.

She sent up a silent final prayer to the spirits for good luck. 

“I’m counting on you, Taicho,” she called over, mirroring him by squaring her stance.

Yamato nodded evenly at her, a small truce unspoken between them.

“Alright,” Yasuchika continued, determined. “Count of three.”

The two ninja snapped to a soldier stance, hands forming a seal in tandem.

_Dragon._

“One.”

_Ox._

“Two.”

_Snake._

“Three!”

_“Doton!”_

Two pairs of hands slammed to the ground below. The seals began to glow with chakra, illuminating their faces in green light. Yamato and Yasu poured their chakra into the earth, molding it into the rock and soil. The seals guided the chakra. It joined and melded, spreading and blending together until it became indistinguishable between them. 

The world trembled beneath them. Earthy plates shuttered and shifted. Waves of aftershocks rattled the mountain. Rock and dirt churned together, turning to soft soil beneath their feet. Yasu felt it build beneath her palms, pushing up and swallowing her fingers into the bedrock.

Yamato pushed, using the full force of his strength. Yasu guided the jutsu, having to use the entire extent of her power to contain it. 

One false move, and the mountain could collapse. 

She didn’t even have time to think about it, sinking all of her energy into the jutsu.

“And…!” Yasuchika sucked in a deep breath, knees wobbling horribly to keep his balance, “Stop!”

Releasing the jutsu brought with it a tidal wave of relief. Yasu felt her muscles go slack, her entire body drained and weak. She rolled back until she sat on the ground, body slouched over her knees.

“Perfect!” she heard her father shout, but he sounded far away.

She could feel her blood pump to her extremities, rejuvenating her strained limbs. Her chakra control had always been fairly decent, but a large jutsu like that still took a lot out of her. 

A hand popped into her line of sight. She slowly raised her head to see Yamato staring down at her, expression blank except for the small creasing of worry between his eyes. 

Wordlessly, she clasped her fingers around his outstretched wrist and allowed him to pull her up to her feet.

“The hardest part is over,” he commented lightly. “Are you alright?”

She hated to admit it, but this time, she was pretty glad Yamato was here.

She assessed herself, wiggling her fingers and toes just to see if she could. Chakra flickered in her core. She was drained, sure, but overall… 

“I’m okay,” she told him with a tight smile. “And the hardest part has just begun!”

Yamato raised an eyebrow at her, following as she went to join her father at the edge. Sure enough, the faces of the mountain had shifted a few dozen meters. This added enough space to add another, while keeping the monument perfectly centered above the Tower. _‘Tradition,’_ she reminded herself, shaking out the limp feeling from her arms.

She inspected the new ridge they had created, and was more than satisficed with the shape and size. 

The bustling noises of the village had all but stopped. A large crowd gathered down below, too far for them to make out any faces. Yasu grimaced and quickly ducked back, hiding from the crowd’s view. Her father remained, waving cheeringly as they gaped up at him.

“Wasn’t there a notice?” she whispered to Yamato. “They knew we were moving the mountain today, right?”  
“No one reads construction notices,” he muttered back out of the corner of his mouth. 

“But they’re so important!” she argued, brow furrowed. 

“Unfortunately not to many,” he agreed with a similar expression. “Our Earth Release technique probably felt like an earthquake or an explosion to them. Besides, seeing the faces move is probably quite the spectacle.”

“But if they just _read_ the notices--!”

“I know,” he placated.

Finally, her father stepped away from his adoring fans. “Fantastic work, you two!” he guffawed, turning to face the pair. “Perfectly centered, exact alignment, and not a single crack! You and my Yasu make a good team, eh?”

“We both have Earth-nature chakra,” Yamato hummed noncommittally.

She tossed him a sour look. The sheer amount of calculations and measurements she had to do to ensure that the monument would remain perfectly center… And here he was shrugging her off like a despondent genin. She heaved another sigh, letting any anger she felt out with the breath. “Dad, I’m sure Yamato-taicho has better things to do than to sit around with us all day. I don’t think we’ll require any further assistance.”

Yasuchika frowned, “I suppose she’s right…” 

“Is there anything more you require of me, Ushi-sama?” Yamato asked politely.

“No, no... Yasu and I will be able to handle the rest.” Yasuchika bowed, genuinely humble, “Thank you for your assistance today, Yamato-taicho.”

“As always, it was an honor to work with you, Ushi-sama.” He returned the bow, sending a clear sign of respect to the older man. When he turned to her, he only offered her a small nod, “Yasu-san.”

Her lips quirked upwards on their own. That was the first time he’s called her by her name. So just this once, she decided that his comradery might be better than their usual squabbles. “... Thank you, Taicho.”

The captain disappeared quickly, leaving father and daughter alone on the mountain. 

Yasuchika clapped his hands together, turning to his progeny with a boisterous grin, "We'll let's get started then, eh Yasu-chan?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone else read throw-away trivia on Narutopedia then base entire arcs of their fic off of them, or is it just me?  
> Anyway, thanks for reading!


	32. Chapter 32

Spear & Shield    
Chapter 32

  
  
The long descent down the look-out stairs left Yasu with aching knees and too much time to think. Her coveralls and work gloves were caked in a fine grit of stone dust and sand, coating her haori in its coarseness. Her hitai-ate was pushed to the crown of her head, serving no purpose beyond keeping her hair out of her face. 

There were a series of blisters developing along the palm of her left hand from gripping the chisel all day. The nail of her index finger had turned a strange purple-blue color from accidentally hitting it with a hammer. 

She was ragged and dirty, but it felt good. Too bad her heavy heart wouldn’t let her enjoy the feeling.

Twilight had fully set in. Streetlights and lanterns illuminated the main roads, guiding her way towards the market district. It was late, and she had another long day of work ahead of her tomorrow. Even so, Yasu found herself restless. Though her body was physically tired, she found herself at a loss after her father dismissed her for the night.

Hunger had brought her to the teahouse, but a meddling sister-in-law got her to stay.

Which is how Yasu found herself in the grip of gossip by one Ushi Megumi. Of course the topic of a tall, handsome jounin was brought up, though only _after_ Yasu agreed to help with the dishes.

But Yasu was in rather desperate need of sisterly advice...

"So what do you think?" she asked, winded from her rambling explanation of what occurred a few days prior.

“I think,” the older girl sighed, wiping her hands on her apron, “I think you need to acknowledge and process your feelings.”

Yasu paused. A blob of suds slipped off of the dish in her hands, splashing into the sink.

“I thought that’s what I was doing.”

Megumi tossed her a wry look, “You’re just talking-out the situation. You’re not telling me how you felt about it.”

“Isn’t it the same thing?”

“Nope!” Megumi chided, playfully bumping into Yasu’s side. “You’re a textbook over-thinker, Yasu-chan. But going over all the little details and hypotheticals won’t help you actually deal with the situation. Now tell me, how do you _feel_?”

Yasu’s cheeks noticeably flushed. To distract herself once more, she began furiously scrubbing the next plate on the pile, “Embarrassed.”

“Very good. Now, _why_ were you embarrassed?”

She stuttered, unable to articulate a valid response, “B-because! I kissed my friend! While we were fighting! It all happened so fast...!” Despite her incoherent thoughts, the words continued to tumble out of her mouth, “And I did it unprovoked...! I was only trying to distract him! I should have used a genjutsu or trip wire instead! But then he started kissing me back and--! We were just training-- and I just took off like an idiot-- and--!” She began scrubbing another plate, “And it’s not like he’s shown _any_ interest in me to begin with!”

Megumi leant against the counter, propping her chin in her hand as she watched Yasu fall to pieces. 

The younger girl had crawled into the teahouse, shrouded in a cloud of apprehension, doubt, and vexation. At first, Megumi was rather concerned. Megumi had seen Yasu anxious before, usually over work or something silly like that... but never quite like this. But that worry quickly dissipated when she realized Yasu was merely dealing with a problem she had never dealt with before. 

_Romance._

Megumi smiled fondly at the troubled girl, “Don’t scrub so hard, you’ll scratch the china.”

“Sorry!” Yasu muttered with the same amount of pure confused frustration as she had everything else.

“So he kissed you back?” Megumi continued. “You didn’t tell me that part. Was it good?”

Her cheeks got redder, “Megumi-chan, that’s not the point.”

“Actually,” she corrected with a grin, “That’s _exactly_ the point.” Megumi pushed off the counter, returning to the task of drying the plates, “Now, Yasu, you’re a lovely young woman--”

The lovely young woman in question let out a miserable groan. 

“--And Gai-san is obviously a red-blooded male--”

It took all Yasu had to not drown herself in the dishwater. 

“But I still think that reaction might be worth looking into.”

Yasu pursed her lips, picking up another dish and scrubbing in slow, aimless circles.

“You see,” she continued, her voice sage and neutral, “Contrary to popular belief, people actually like it when you’re up front about your affection. You say he hasn't shown an interest in you, but I don't think that's the case. What kinds of signals were you sending?”

“Signals?”

“Yeah. How did you show your interest beforehand? How were you flirting with him?”

“I…” Yasu’s thoughts scrambled, instantly reliving every single memory with Gai she could recall. “I… Didn’t? At least I don't think I did. Not on purpose, anyway.”

“Seriously?”

“No! We were always just training, it’s not like we were hanging out or anything…”

“What? You had lunch with his students here just the other day.”

“That was just a one-time thing.”

“And didn’t you go on a picnic once?”

“We were training, too!”

Megumi chuckled at Yasu’s stubborn frustration, “To be honest, Yasu-chan… It sounds to me like you guys were dating and didn’t even realize it.”

“Don’t say that,” she groaned. “I feel like enough of an idiot already.”

“Love makes fools of us all,” Megumi grinned like a cat.

“Gods above, don’t say that…”

The grin stayed, “And you’re _sure_ he hasn’t shown any interest in you? It seems weird that a guy would be that persistent without an alternative motive.”

“Of course not!” she picked up the final dish, scrubbing this one much more slowly than the others. “I mean… He calls me a ‘beautiful flower’ sometimes.”

“A beautiful flower?”

“Yeah, or a ‘Blossoming Azalea,’” she added, miming quotations.

“That’s…” Megumi caught herself, “That’s kind of sweet, actually.”

Yasu shook her head in denial, “That’s just how he talks. He says it all the time.”

“Just because he says it all the time, doesn’t make it less sweet.”

The way she said it made Yasu blush. “He’s just complimenting my taijutsu, Megumi-chan.”

“And you were just trying to distract him. But there’s more to it than that, isn’t there?”

Admitting her sister-in-law was right on all accounts, Yasu handed off the last dish. She rinsed her hands clean of soap, her skin raw and wrinkled from the water. Her new blisters were pinkish-red and needed to be wrapped. Another long day of craving lay ahead. She would need to wake up early tomorrow, too. Her tumultuous thoughts were far from quelled, but she knew it was time for her to go.

Yasu let out one more tired sigh, looking over to her sister-in-law with pleading eyes, “Megumi-chan… What should I do?”

The older woman half smiled with a small shrug, “Honestly? You’re gonna have to talk to him eventually, Yasu-chan.”

Yasu deflated, reluctantly agreeing. 

“My only advice is to be honest. Be straightforward… And maybe spend some time with him that doesn’t involve punching each other.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter out!  
> I went back and edited chapters 1-10 for little things like spelling/grammar and minor continuity details. Nothing major, but some bits should make a bit more sense now. I'll edit the rest soon.  
> Thank you for reading!!


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, a HUGE thank you to everyone who's commented/left kudos while I've been away!  
> Thank you thank you thank you!  
> I've seen them all and they've brought me huge amounts of joy! Thank you!!!

Spear & Shield  
Chapter 33

Yasu awoke the following morning to the loud screech of her alarm clock. She didn’t typically use this function of the device, having long since phased out the need for wake-up calls. However, she knew herself well enough to recognize the massive amount of exhaustion she was carrying.

Sure enough, the blaring siren alarm jolting her from a deep, dreamless sleep.

She flew up into a seated position, sending a startled Bao-chan flailing across her bedroom. Yasu groaned, arm sailing out to slam down on the snooze button with much more force than necessary. The clock was crushed beneath her fist, shattering at the edges. Yasu hardly noticed, digging the heels of her palms into her eyes in a poor attempt to will away her tiredness. Fatigued weighed like a second head on her shoulders, pulling her back down into her pillows. Days had finally caught up with her, and she found herself unable to bounce back as easily as she once could. 

With a great heave, she sat up once more.

Purely out of caution, she had set the alarm an hour before she actually _needed_ to wake up. She was remiss to realize the sun wasn’t even up yet, tempting her all the more to lay back down and pretend she had no responsibilities today.

Instead, she rolled out of bed and got dressed. 

It felt strange to leave her apartment without her shinobi clothes. She only wore the barest of armor underneath coveralls and Ushi haori. Her gloves weren’t plated or fitted. Rather, they were thick, made of soft leather to protect from the wear of her tools. Even her shoes felt too heavy and clunky. She found herself absently skimming her beltline, taking solace in feeling her storage pack, but having to ignore an initial bout of panic when she didn’t feel her kunai pouch. 

The early morning left Konoha's streets barren, casting Yasu in a veil of surreal eeriness. Alone and exhausted, she shuffled through the buildings, her eyes firmly fixed on the ground.

She shouldn't have gotten out of bed today.

Yasu trudged to the mountain, feeling not much like herself. For years she had been convinced she didn’t want to be a shinobi. She wanted to be a sculpture, a carver, a builder like her father. She loved it… She could create whole worlds out of the rawest of materials. She could change the very foundation of Konoha. She had the skill and the potential. She had the ideas too big for her drafting table. 

Being a shinobi had always seemed to just get in the way of that. 

And yet… 

Yasu fiddled with her hitai-ate, which was pushed to the crown of her head. She couldn’t bring herself to leave the house without it, despite knowing she had no use for it today. Like a habit she couldn't quite kick, something harmless but meaningful. It was a part of herself she wanted to give up on, but couldn't quite commit.

She found herself searching for the smell of ozone in the air, disappointment ringing through her lungs when she found none.

Sunrise brought with it a beautiful sky of dull pink and pale blue. Dew clung to the soles of her shoes as she walked soundlessly up the mountain. Descending onto the scaffolding and disappearing behind the privacy tarp her father had put up made her feel safe; like she was cocooned away in her own little world. A half-finished masterpiece hidden away for her eyes only. Tsunade’s stony face stared back at her, the details still blurred but her features taking shape. She traced a hand down her jagged cheek, sighing at the sheer amount of work ahead.

She retrieved her well-used storage scroll from her hip pack, ready to start the long day ahead.

“...Yasu-chan?” 

She froze, chakra petering out of her palm, her scroll flopping uselessly by her feet. 

The feeling of being naked without her usual armor rushed back to the surface. She felt as if she had been caught off-guard in battle, that split-second she realized she had left herself unguarded as a harsh attack headed her way. Out of pure reflex, her hand darted to her kunai pouch, only to find it absent. 

“Are you down there?”

Her nervousness ebbed, just a bit. Slowly, carefully, with all the stealth she possessed, she crept up to the ledge. Her heart raced, hands trembling as she climbed the rocky surface. She recognized that voice. 

At the top of the cliff, she paused. A deep breath of morning air steadied her resolve. She needed to focus and gather herself. However, just as she was about to peek over the ledge, a head of silky black hair appeared directly in front of her.

Wide-eyed, Yasu came nose-to-nose with the one person she hadn’t been prepared to see that day.

She yelped in surprise. Her chakra faltered, sending her skidding a ways down the cliff.

A hand darted down, grabbing her wrist just before she slid out of reach. 

Yasu stared up at Gai’s face, dangling by her arm. 

“Are you alright?” he asked, brow furrowed with concern, eyes scanning down her frame.

Blush lit up her face at her faux-pas, the sinking feeling of uncertainty overwhelming her once more (it seemed to be a theme this morning). “Y-yeah,” she eventually nodded shakily, giving him a bashful smile, “You startled me. That’s all.”

Gods above, what was he doing here?! The sun's been up for a matter of minutes, and he appears! Couldn't he at least wait until after lunch?!

Her thoughts scattered as he carefully lifted her up with inhuman ease.

This had to be a mistake. Perhaps another coincidence of unfortunate fate. She wasn’t ready to talk to him. Her words weren’t put together yet, her thoughts still a nebulous solar storm in her mind. What was she going to say?! 

Seeing him here outweighed all of Gai's pervious ambushes. How had he known she'd never been as venerable as she was right then? A brilliant sneak-attack, if she'd ever seen one.

Yasu eventually found her footing, coming to stand before him with a bowed head, unable to meet his eyes.

Gai couldn't meet hers, either. His gaze darted off her left shoulder, beholding the colorful sunrise on the horizon. “...My apologies for bothering you at work,” he gulped, his shoulders too square and tense to be seen as apologetic.

Yasu hardly noticed his too-ridged posture, shrugging, “Technically, I haven’t started working yet.”

“Still… I understand this is a very important project. I only need a moment of your time.”

Yasu didn’t like how apologetic he sounded. She didn’t like the curtness that replaced his usual flourish words. “Here, let’s talk down there,” she gestured to the scaffolding. 

Being out in the open set her on edge. She wondered if it would be too awkward to ask Gai to spare her a shuriken or two. She didn’t need them, but they would make her feel better. 

She felt… exposed. And not just because of her outfit.

They walked down the lower tier of the scaffolding, where the tarp surrounded them entirely, shielding them away from prying eyes. Gai followed at her heels, almost as eager as she was to get out of the open area. 

She couldn't help but notice that he kept his eyes firmly at his feet, never looking directly at Tsunade's developing face. Part of her wanted him to glance over and see all her hard work, but her mouth was too dry to form such words. When they finally stopped, the two stood a ways apart, their respective heels resting on the edge of the wooden plank they stood on.

“Here, these are for you.”

Her vision was suddenly filled with the sight of bright red flowers as Gai procured a large bouquet seemingly out of nowhere. 

“...Thank you?” She took the bouquet tentatively, examining the simple arrangement and colorful paper. It was a perfect mix of buds and blooms with stems that poked out of the bottom, hard and rough like twigs. _‘Ah,’_ she realized, _‘Camellias…’_

She loved camellias. They were lush and bright and made for wonderful landscaping. Like an azalea, they were hardy yet beautiful. However, they required more care than your typical flowering tree, and should only be planted by those who would nurture it properly. When given the choice, Yasu more often than not suggested azaleas over camellias because they required less work. Still, camellias had an unparalleled beauty to them.

“I wanted to apologize,” he said, clearing his throat sheepishly. “The other day, I…" his face twisted, trying to remain composed when distraught, "I made you uncomfortable. I am very sorry.”

His usual flowery prose was filtered and diluted through his melancholy, sounding stilted and strange to Yasu. But the sight of her running from him was seared into his memory, invoking a type of dread he didn’t know how to face. Despite his obvious discomfort, he tried anyway.

Yasu gawked at the man, eyes darting between him and the bouquet as her mind rushed like rapid waters. “No!” she cried too quickly, “I mean, no… You didn’t…”

He was apologizing? For something _she_ did? He was apologizing for the _kiss_? 

_‘Oh…’_ she was struck with a thought. _‘Oh, no…’_

He was just as embarrassed as she had been. Oddly enough, Yasu found this to be nearly as devastating as if he had been angry. Worse, even. At least she could confront anger. She could only sympathize with embarrassment.

Because embarrassment also meant shame. Shame for her, shame for what she had done.

She destroyed everything without even thinking about it. With one stupid kiss, ruined it. In one fell swoop, she had cracked the façade of a something that could have been beautiful.

“...It’s fine,” she murmured quietly, the foreign feeling of tears pricking the back of her eyes. “I’m, uhm, I’m sorry, too…”

A hole tore through Gai’s chest. He had come here with all intent to right whatever had fractured between them. He had to force down the instinct to whisk her away into another one of his training regimens, something he so desperately missed. He missed rushing to avoid her quick blows, knowing each one he landed would be taken in stride. He wanted to chase after her once more, to be challenged to think two steps ahead so he could ensnare her once more. He could practically taste the adrenaline she made him feel as she met his every strike...

But right then… In that moment, it felt as though the energy from their usual encounters had sunken, dispersed into the air, leaving nothing but a vacuum of stiff gracelessness between them. Like that first night, where he had nearly killed her with an errant attack, and they were strangers once more.

Gai wasn’t alone in his mournful loss of what could have been. It was over and done with so quickly, Yasu didn’t know what to think. It shouldn’t hurt like this, should it?

The illusion that anything in life was permanent had long been shattered and re-shattered. The knowledge that her entire village was in danger of crumbling around her had solidified that. But gods… She had hoped beyond hope that Gai wouldn’t be temporary.

She shouldn't have gotten out of bed today.

The paper wrapping crinkled in her tight grip, pulling her back out of her thoughts. Her eyes dropped to the flowers again. The thick, sweet fragrance of the camellias pulled forth a blurry memory of her kunoichi lessons. She recalled the heavy scent of flowers and reeds that filled the classroom as they learned ikebana at the Academy. 

Camellias were for passion, beauty, and youth. 

They were red, too, suggesting romance and hidden feelings. 

She wondered if he had even known their meaning when he picked the bouquet. People usually didn’t consider flower meanings when buying flowers. The average customer is thinking more about color coordination and their budget. Even though knowledge of flower meaning was fairly common in a shinobi village, only poets and hopeless romantics actually took note of them.

“Wait…”

… This was Gai. The most poetically romantic jouinn in Konohagakure! On some level, he _had_ to have known!

In a bout of delusion, she convinced herself to say what she felt. Whether he chose the flowers consciously or not, she had to speak her mind.

“Actually? You know what? No.”

Gai’s head snapped up, confusion blossoming across his face, “No?”

“No. It’s not fine and I’m _not_ sorry.”

“...I’m sorry?”

“No, you’re not sorry, either!” she snapped back, shaking her head, “Or maybe you are, I don’t know!”

“What?”

Yasu wasn’t entirely sure what she meant to say. She liked to think of herself as an intellectual who put thought into her words. But now her mind had been left behind and it was her heart’s turn to speak.

“I know it was weird, but I liked kissing you,” she was certain her face was glowing red, “I don’t regret it, and I’d do it again.”

She couldn’t look him in the eye, and honestly wasn’t sure if she ever would again. Still, she jutted her chin out in a challenging way, chest puffed with the last remnants of her dignity. Her hands trembled, betraying whatever airs she wore, the bark of the camellia branches cinching in her grip.

“Gai-sensei, I like you. I like what we have and I like spending time with you.”

Her words would have echoed through the mountains if it hadn't been for the tarp that concealed them. Instead, they rung out in the small space, overflowing with their larger meaning.

Shock slapped across his face.

Yasu kept going, unable to stop the waterfall of words that spewed from her mouth. “You’re important to me, and I’m sorry if you don’t feel the same way, but,” her confession was coming out as a rambling mess, yet she powered through, “I wanted to kiss you. If I don’t tell you that now, I never will. So I’m sorry, but I’m not sorry.”

Gai stood perfectly still, staring at her in a way that made her feel like a circus attraction. 

_‘Oh gods,’_ she thought, panic taking hold of her bleeding heart once more. _‘What have I done?!’_

Awkwardness sat thick and heavy in the space between them, each standing much too still and much too silent...

Maybe she had thought too much into the flowers after all.

 _‘Say something,’_ she begged, _‘Just say something!’_

Her blood pumped at an unhealthy speed. She couldn’t fill her lungs no matter how deeply she breathed, resulting in a short, panicked pant. That painful sort of anxiety clawed its way back into her chest, making her dizzy. 

Yet Gai still didn’t respond. He stood frozen and shell-shocked, processing her words with as much care as his brain could manage. He saw no hint of deceit in her eyes, her voice full of messy earnestness that couldn’t be faked. He didn’t feel in control of himself as he listened to the very words he had been so desperate to hear.

He screamed internally, begging his body to just _move._

Yasu’s eyes dropped, acceptance of her grief finally taking hold. _‘This was a mistake…’_ she thought, staring down at the vermillion petals in her hand. _‘This whole thing was a mistake.'_

She shouldn't have gotten out of bed today.

The second her eyes dropped in defeat, Gai sprung to action.

With invisible speed, he took her in his arms. Yasu gasped, dropping the bouquet. It bounced off the scaffolding, forgotten as it tumbled down the mountainside. She was pulled tightly against his chest, feeling warm and complete for the first time that morning. When their lips touched, it was as if the world sang around them. He descended upon her hungrily, anchoring one hand to the back of her neck, the other settling into the curve of her waist. 

Yasu’s body reacted before her mind, her arms arcing up to wrap tightly around his neck, pulling him deeper into their kiss. She stood on her toes, practically falling into him, pouring everything she had into that one moment. 

“Eh?” a small voice was heard from above, “Is that you down there, Yasu?”

Abruptly, Yasu pulled back, fear evident across her face. Too dazed by the kiss, Gai barely registered the feeling of her fisting the front of his flak jacket. All he could think about was the pleasant tingle on his lips as she flung him off the scaffolding. He couldn’t help but notice how she looked so very pretty right then, as he plummeted hundreds of meters towards the ground.

“‘Morning!” she greeted her father with fake cheer. “I’m getting an early start today.”

“That’s my girl!” Yasuchika beamed down at her with a chuckle, heaving himself down to the top level of the scaffolding, “I thought someone was down there with you! Figured I caught some vandal trying to ruin our hard work.”

“Nope!” she chuckled back nervously, “Just me.”

She kept her smile stricken on her face as she dared to glance down. 

Thankfully, there was no splattered corpse on the ground below.

Instead, Gai stood beneath her, parallel to the ground, staring up at her with a rather miffed expression.

 _‘Sorry!’_ she signed with her hand, not trusting her voice. _‘Status?’_

Her anxious expression and obvious concern was too cute for him to stay mad at her for long. Even having been thrown off the side of a mountain, Gai still found her quirks endearing. _‘Safe. Not injured,’_ he signed back with a soft smile.

 _‘Affirmative,’_ she sighed with relief, pretending to shift through tools as she asked, _‘Recon?’_ The movement was quick but lacked sharpness, _‘Tonight?’_

Gai’s heart fluttered as he grinned up at the flushed kunoichi, _‘Seven o’ clock?’_

The sun was due to set at six-thirty. Knowing that would allow her plenty of time for her father to leave and for her to clean up for the day, she nodded. Yasu hardly felt the ache growing in her cheeks as she beamed down at him. All she saw was how Gai grinned back before disappearing in a quick flicker. 

Her cheeks continued to ache with a smile as she began the job before her, cutting into the rocky cliff face once more. 

“Huh?” her father’s voice carried beneath the sheet. “What’re these doing here?”

Yasu followed her father's line of sight, finding a bright red bouquet sitting just at the edge of the scaffolding. She bit her lip to fight down a hysterically girly giggle. She ducked her head, only raising her voice slightly to call back to her father, “Someone must have left them last night. Maybe one of Tsunade-sama’s many admirers.”

It was a decent lie, one the Ushi patriarch was eager to believe.

“Hah!” her father barked a laugh, retrieving the flowers and regarding them with a fondness. He carefully tucked the camellias into one of the hand rails, securing them so they stood upright. Yasuchika stroked the hairs on his chin, “Yare-yare... Camellias, huh? Poor sap must really be in love!” 

Yasu’s breath caught and her stomach flipped.

“Can you blame them? She’s the most beautiful face in all of Konoha, after all!” her father guffawed, smacking Tsunade's nose.

Yasu's chisel struck the rock a little too harshly, causing a thick chunk of stone to clatter loudly down the side of the mountain. “Dad, you’re married.”

The silence that passed was like a breath of fresh air to the flustered kunoichi. 

“Don’t tell your mother."

Yasu laughed, clear and genuine, "I won't."

She was so glad she got out of bed today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: Camellias are known as a "romantic" flower, but I pretty much made up the symbolism they have here.  
> Ahhh I'm alive!!!  
> So so so so so SO SORRY for the hiatus!  
> Long story short, I work with a pharmacy and vaccines are overwhelming.  
> Trying to get updates back on track as we near the end of the story!


End file.
